POLICE seized five vehicles in a crackdown on uninsured drivers last week.

Officers from Pinner Safer Neighbourhood Team manned Rickmansworth Road, near the junction with Crossway, on Wednesday, using computers designed to read number plates.

Motorists were given on-the-spot fines for offences ranging from driving without a licence to driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition.

Inspector Dave Burgum, responsible for community policing in the west side of the borough, said: “We are responding to local concerns about uninsured and untaxed vehicles.

“Any operation of this kind also uncovers other offences such as vehicles that are not road-worthy or people who do not possess valid driving licences.

“What we are doing is denying the criminal the use of the roads. I intend to conduct these operations on a regular basis with our partners to deter criminals from frequenting Harrow.”

Four cars and a van were seized, and will either be crushed or their owners will be forced to pay an additional fine to recover them.

Sergeant Roni Doyle, who lead the operation, said around 70 vehicles were stopped in total.