POLICE have reported that there has been a spate of untaxed vehicles which have been seized and removed from the roads in Wellington.

Sgt Jon O’Connor, of Wellington Police, told members of Wellington Town Council on May 6 that officers had used devolved DVLA powers to deal with the untaxed vehicles.

“These powers are conferred on the police by the DVLA and allow us to seize vehicles on their behalf when certain criteria are met with their approval,” said Sgt O’Connor in his monthly report. “The cost of motoring is rising every day with increased fuel and insurance prices. That said, all vehicles still need to be taxed or SORN, declared off the road, and failure to do so will likely result in its seizure and removal.”

He advised that car tax could be checked on the gov.uk website which allows people to see the tax and MOT status of any vehicle.

Sgt O’Connor did make an appeal for people checking car details on the gov.uk website to make sure they typed in the correct registration number.

“We often find people make reports to us of vehicles appearing to be on “false plates” because the make and model that comes back on the website is different to the car they are checking,” he said.

“It is usually the case that the number plate has been incorrectly entered during the check and in fact when we come to investigate, we see the vehicle is completely in order and bearing the registration it should.”

Vehicle excise duty – known to most of us as car tax – must be paid on most vehicles registered in the UK. Any motorist caught driving without it could be fined up to £2,500. Statistics show that in 2025, more than 150,000 untaxed vehicles were clamped in the UK.