Roadblocks used by police to trap illegal motorists

The Met operation was launched yesterday with specialist squads tracking down uninsured drivers in north London and impounding cars.

By the end of the year, police expect to have impounded 70,000 illegal vehicles in the capital.

The first roadblock was set up on the North Circular, near Abbey Road, Park Royal, where police with automatic number plate recognition cameras checked vehicles against a database of insured cars and stopped suspect ones.

In a six-hour operation, police seized 40 vehicles which were uninsured and made eight arrests. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency dealt with 24 drivers with untaxed vehicles.

The vehicles were loaded on to waiting transporters and taken to one of three pounds set up for the operation until they can be scrapped, sold on or reclaimed. Drivers unable to produce the correct documents face a six-point penalty on their licence and a £120 fine on top of the cost of recovering their vehicle.

One driver was arrested for possession of a knife and drugs. Another was held for driving while disqualified and another for driving a suspected stolen car.

One man was arrested for failing to give his name and address and for having no licence and another was held on an international arrest warrant. Three men travelling together in a suspected stolen car were also arrested. It is the first time that Safer Neighbourhood Teams in London's 33 boroughs have had powers to clamp down on illegal drivers - until now that has been the responsibility of police traffic officers.

One in eight motorists in London - or around 375,000 drivers - is believed to be on the road illegally.

Chief Superintendent David Snelling, who is in charge of the Met's traffic unit, said: "Uninsured drivers are a danger to all road users.

"We will use every power available to us to stop these people. Seizing vehicles and taking them away removes the danger immediately and sends a clear message that their illegal behaviour will not be tolerated.

"Every one of my traffic officers has seen the long-lasting pain caused by uninsured drivers who have been involved in fatal collisions." The operation was welcomed by the London Assembly Green Party. Road safety spokeswoman Jenny Jones said: "It is terrible that people are being left for dead by drivers who believe they are beyond the law.

"The sad reality is that failure to stop is part of a well-established pattern of behaviour by drivers who often have no insurance or registration. That is why more and more communities are asking for their local police to take action against bad and illegal drivers."

The clampdown has been tested in five London boroughs: Hammersmith and Fulham, Ealing, Lewisham, Hillingdon and Brent, resulting in 4,935 vehicles being seized so far.