A NEW "smart" camera - which can read licence plates and check instantly whether a vehicle is taxed - is to be unveiled on the roads of North and East Yorkshire.
The Stingray camera forms the mainstay of a new clampdown on road tax dodgers, and will be launched in North Yorkshire and the East Riding on April 22. It will operate on roads across the two counties for a fortnight.
The device can read the plates of passing cars, and check national records to see if the car or lorry is travelling untaxed. If so, the driver can expect a visit from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
On the same day, DVLA wheel clamping teams will begin an intensive two-week operation across the Ryedale and Scarborough areas.
Traffic Sergeant Chris Charlton, of North Yorkshire's Eastern Area Road Policing Group, said: "DVLA data suggests that there are around 30,000 untaxed vehicles in North Yorkshire, representing lost revenue of £3 million.
"We estimate that there are 1,900 evaders in Ryedale, and 3,900 in the Scarborough district, and we are giving the DVLA every possible assistance in getting these tax cheats to pay up.
"All responsible road users tax their vehicles. Why should we have to subsidise the irresponsible and dishonest minority?"
Sergeant Charlton said that 89 untaxed vehicles were clamped in a two-week operation in North Yorkshire last year, and 54 of them were later scrapped.
Offenders can face a fine of up to £1,000 for a private car or motorbike, and up to £23,000 for a heavy goods vehicle. The Stingray camera can work day and night, and can track vehicles travelling in excess of 100mph.
Transport Minister David Jamieson said: "The new DVLA camera teams can move quickly from location to location, and those who previously took the risk of driving whilst unlicensed will soon realise that there is no place to hide, and that the penalties for evasion are much greater than the cost of a vehicle excise license.
"Law-abiding motorists have nothing to fear from the cameras."
Updated: 11:22 Wednesday, April 10, 2002
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