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DVLA GUIDE - Unofficial Guide to the DVLA™ Wheel Clamps and Untaxed Vehicles

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Wheel Clamps and Untaxed Vehicles:

No, this is not a country and western song.

If you keep or use an untaxed vehicle on a public road, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's (DVLA) wheelclamping operator could clamp or impound it. The fees to release your vehicle are high. Unclaimed vehicles will be towed away and impounded and could be crushed after seven days.

Wheelclamping Operators

DVLA works in partnership with NCP Services Ltd who operate the wheelclamping scheme and a number of local authorities and police forces who operate local wheelclamping schemes in their areas.

How it Works

Clamping vans patrolling the streets are equipped with automatic number plate reader (ANPR) technology. Roof-mounted cameras read the number plates of vehicles parked at the roadside. The number plates are checked against a list of untaxed vehicles and any identified are confirmed against the DVLA vehicle register. The untaxed vehicle is then clamped, or towed away and impounded after 24 hours (or immediately in some cases).

Clamped?

To get your vehicle released it will cost you £80 and you will need to show a valid tax disc

If you don't produce a tax disc you'll need to pay a deposit instead. This is £120 for a car or motorcycle and up to £600 for other vehicles.

You'll get the deposit payment back when you tax your vehicle and produce a valid tax disc. If you fail to produce a tax disc within two weeks you'll lose the surety payment and your vehicle could be clamped again and again.

Towed Away and Impounded?

To release your vehicle, you'll need to pay a £160 fee, and any storage charges of £15 per day as well as producing a valid tax disc or surety payment.

Provided you're registered as the vehicle keeper, DVLA will write to inform you that your vehicle has been impounded and will be disposed of unless all fees are paid.

You could also face prosecution with fines up to £1,000 as well as paying any arrears of vehicle tax owed and costs.

Unclaimed vehicles are crushed after seven days. Vehicles of economic value are disposed of after 14 days. Any vehicles of significant value are resold at auction.