Crackdown on dodgy cars

A CRACKDOWN on untaxed and abandoned vehicles started with success on Wednesday, with 25 motorists being caught out by Bexhill Police in less than a day.

Officers clamped and towed away a succession of vehicles, with owners forced to pay a fee, plus a storage charge to reclaim their vehicle.

Others paid on-the-spot fines to keep their cars.

The three week pre-Christmas 'Operation Enforcer' is funded by second homes council tax through the Local Strategic Partnership and the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership, with no cost to Rother District Council directly.

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Police from Bexhill worked with Rother and Hastings Borough Council to remove the illegal and often unsightly vehicles.

The Operation began in Sidley - which has been the subject of increased police presence - before moving through the town and then on into rural Rother.

Bexhill Police commander, Inspector Dick Coates, believes the initiative will have a knock-on impact on crime in the area.

He said: "Criminals can't get to where they want to go to carry out criminal activities, so it's not just targetting the motorist, it's also reducing crime. By the removal of abandoned vehicles it's also stopping kids from anti-social behaviour like smashing them up. It's gone very well and by specifically targetting untaxed and abandoned cars we are getting the message across. Quite a few people have paid up the 200 to keep their cars. Others are clamped and then the DVLA give us the go-ahead to take them away.

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"A lot of people don't come and collect abandoned cars anyway, and we do have powers to crush them if we believe they are abandoned."

Police have also been running roadside checks on vehicle tax discs throughout the area.

Sergeant James Scott, who planned the operation with the different parties, said: "I think it's important to get the message out there that we're doing something."

Many tip - offs came from local action groups and information submitted to Rother District Council.

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