There's one flat rate for all tax dodgers. That was the message splashed across a giant crusher which literally flattened cars in Southend High Street yesterday.
The crushing demonstration gave motorists a clear warning of what will happening to their cars if they fail to get them taxed, by crushing several abandoned, untaxed cars to a fraction of their original size.
Squeeze on non-payers - the car crusher at work in Southend High Street Picture: STEVE O'CONNELL
At the end of last year, police and Southend Council helped the DVLA in a trial where untaxed vehicles were clamped and removed from the highway.
A Southend police spokesman said: "Following the success of the trial, the removal and crushing of untaxed vehicles is now an integral part of Southend abandoned vehicle protocol and our hotline is one of only five in the UK, where we are working with the DVLA to combat the problem of abandoned vehicles.
"When vehicles are removed from the highway, they are stored at a pound and the owner pays a fee upon collection.
"Vehicles that remain unclaimed for seven to 14 days, depending on their value, are either sold at auction or crushed."
The hotline for reporting abandoned vehicles is on 01702 298053.
Published Tuesday, January 21, 2003
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