DRIVERS without insurance or car tax were halted by Cheshire traffic cops during an operation in Chester.
Officers identified offending vehicles using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras and seized those without correct documentation.
The Chronicle was ‘on board’ with the police as officers seized a red Fiesta on City Walls Road, near the Queen’s School, which was identified as not being insured or tax.
It was taken to a compound and will not be released until outstanding payments and fines have been paid.
Driving without insurance can now carry a six-month disqualification after an appearance at Chester Magistrates Court.
PC Chris Wright said: “The driver had a problem with the DVLA and told us that until they get their documents sorted out then he wasn’t going to pay his insurance.
“You get a lot of excuses. People will even say that they were waiting until after Christmas or a birthday before they get insured, but they’ll still drive the car.
“We are trying to send a strong message to the community that this cannot carry on.”
Officers also reported that eastern European drivers presented problems to the county’s traffic police due to them either not knowing British laws or not carrying correct documentation for their vehicles.
Det Supt Andy Mitchell, who oversaw the Cheshire operation, said: “We are always proactively using our resources and ANPR technology to arrest criminals and deal with offenders. The aim is to make our communities safer by targeting those who seek to harm or exploit them.”
Twenty-six vehicles in total were seized for a variety of offences while 14 vehicles were searched.
Two arrests were made in Warrington for possession of a weapon and drugs.
