Police seize 19 vehicles in Stratford

A tough crackdown on rogue traders saw 19 vehicles seized by police in Stratford yesterday.

Sixty vehicles were stopped by police, eleven of which had no tax and eight had no insurance, while a male motorist was also arrested for driving with excess alcohol.

The offences were discovered during an operation at the gyratory on Thursday morning, part of a wider nationwide crackdown on rogue traders.

Sergeant Richard Thomas from the Stratford Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: "I am concerned that following changes to the road tax laws, drivers are either forgetting or not taxing their vehicles. If caught, drivers face having their vehicles seized. I would advise all car owners to check the status of their current car tax.”

The operation in Stratford was just one of many to take place across the region last week with motorists, suspected fraudsters and traders all targeted.

Organisations such the Department of Work and Pensions, the Environment Agency, HM Revenue and Customs, the DVLA, Boarder Force and Scambusters were involved across the area.

The week-long crime prevention initiative also saw police issue advice to protect older people withdrawing large amounts of cash.