Dozens of Ross-shire drivers have been caught in a crackdown on motoring offences in just four days.
Local Officers from Police Scotland and the Divisional Road Policing Unit were supported by the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA) and Highland Council Enforcement Officers to deal with vehicles being used without valid road tax.
Between Monday 11 and Thursday 14 January, the operation targeted those who use illegal vehicles on our roads and also those who have ignored previous recent warnings during similar operations in the area.
A high number of vehicles were stopped and examined by officers to ensure they were safe and compliant with all aspects of the law.
Altogether, 36 vehicles were clamped by the DVLA until the owner paid a fine and backdated road tax.
Nine vehicles were immediately seized and removed from the road. The owners of which will be required to pay for the uplift and storage of these vehicles along with a fine and backdated tax, which for some may come at a cost of around £600.
Another 10 vehicles were issued with fixed penalties for no road tax.
On top of that, 19 vehicles, which were in an extremely poor condition and appeared abandoned, were issued official council notices for the respective owners to prove ownership, otherwise the vehicles will be seized and scrapped.
In total, action was taken against 74 vehicles during the extremely successful four day operation.
Community Policing Team Inspector for Sutherland & Easter Ross, Jamie Wilson said: “The activity between Monday and Thursday falls on the back of a ‘day of action’ which took place during December in Tain focussing on unroadworthy vehicles and saw a number of people charged and their vehicles prohibited from being driven on a public road. As some of the issues continued we planned and executed the operation over the past four days.
“Action was taken against a large number of illegal vehicles used on public roads and I see the broad partnership approach with DVLA and Highland Council as a significant step forward to deal with some very real community concerns. Moving ahead, our officers will continue to monitor the most problematic areas and plans have already started to repeat the operation in the near future.”