UNTAXED vehicles are not fair on other drivers, claim two Frome residents who want to see a clampdown
In a letter to Frome Times the residents say, “There are a lot of drivers out there in Frome and the surrounding areas that use their vehicles even though they don’t have road tax on them and this would mean they don’t have insurance or MOT either. How come the police can’t pick them up when they are doing spot checks or speed checks as their equipment is linked to the DVLA?
“I would hate to be the unlucky driver that gets hit by a no taxed / MOT or uninsured driver… as the legal driver wouldn’t be able to claim anything back plus the law would be on the no taxed driver, as that’s the way it looks in the world today.
“Both the police and the DVLA are at fault for not stopping these drivers, in our eyes.”
Frome Times contacted the DVLA (Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency) who say, “The DVLA’s national wheelclamping contractor, as part of their day to day operations, clamp and/or impound any untaxed vehicles seen on the road. Keepers of clamped vehicles must pay a release fee of £100 and a surety fee of £160 if a valid tax disc cannot be produced.
“They are also pursued for any back tax that is owed. After 24 hours, if the release fee has not been paid, the vehicle is impounded. To release the vehicle the keeper would need to pay a £200 release fee in addition to the surety fee of £160 and storage charges of £21 per day thereafter. The surety fee is always refunded if the keeper is able to show a valid tax disc at the vehicle pound within 14 days of the vehicle’s release.”
The DVLA adds that, in some parts of the county, police act as agents of the DVLA and are allowed to clamp and remove untaxed vehicles. However, this does not cover Frome.
You can report an untaxed vehicle online at www.gov.uk/report- untaxed-vehicle or write to Enforcement Section, W070/ D12, DVLA, Longview Road, Swansea SA8 0XZ. You will need to include the vehicle registration number; make model and colour; detailed location; and the time the vehicle can be seen on the road, if known.
• What do you think? Write to Frome Times, c/o Absolutely Fabulous, 20 Bath Street, Frome. BA11 1DJ or email news@frometimes.co.uk
