Ashington cars seized in crackdown

Email: northumberland@ncjmedia.co.uk
Phone: 0191 2016262
Address: The Journal Groat Market Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 1ED

Posted by Richard Fletcher on Nov 26, 08 04:36 PM in News

Drivers without valid documents had to find their own way home after police seized 25 cars across Northumberland including 10 in Ashington.

Over a five-day roadside crime crackdown called Operation Magnitude, officers in Northumberland used a hi-tech Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system to target cars and match number plates against a computer database.

Suspect vehicles were intercepted and in 25 cases were seized.

Owners of seized vehicles have seven working days to produce valid documents and pay a fee of ÃÂ£150 and ÃÂ£20 a day storage costs. If they fail to pay the vehicle will be crushed.

Chief Inspector Simon Packham said: "It is a fact that uninsured cars are used by criminals to commit crime. By taking them off the roads we can both cut crime and improve the safety of other road users.

"We are commited to using the latest technology to stay one step ahead of the criminals. However we will not stop here as ANPR-equipped police vehicles are being used round the clock and similar operations are planned over the coming weeks to target criminals operating in Northumberland."

We'd like to hear from you.
Send your stories, pics and videos to northumberland@ncjmedia.co.uk