Major police operation causes cars to be seized and licences immediately suspended for breaking driving laws

Police in North Yorkshire have seized multiple unlicensed vehicles and cracked down on illegal taxi operations during a major road safety operation.

The operation carried out by the Dewsbury Neighbourhood Policing Team in Earlsheaton took place last Friday and targeted anti-social parking and driving following concerns raised by local residents.

Officers worked alongside Kirklees Council’s Taxi Licensing Team in the New Street area to address ongoing issues affecting the community.

The operation forms part of a wider initiative to tackle unsafe and illegal vehicle use in the Dewsbury area, with police warning that anti-social driving will not be tolerated.

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During the operation, officers seized three abandoned vehicles that were found to be displaying false number plates which carries a hefty penalty.

The most common fine for false plates is £100 however it could go up to £1,000 or even lead to confiscating the registration completely.

The police action in the New Street area also resulted in nine tickets being issued to motorists for various offences including parking failures.

The initiative was organised by Dewsbury East Ward Officer, PC Julia Stelfox, who had been engaging with local residents and businesses about recurring parking problems in the area.

Investigations revealed that some of the parking issues stemmed from businesses leaving vehicles parked inappropriately on private property car parks and in unsuitable road locations.

A joint operation with taxi licensing officials on High Road in Earlsheaton led to immediate enforcement action against illegal taxi operators.

Two taxi drivers had their licences immediately suspended during the checks. Officials also issued four additional tickets for various taxi-related offences during the operation.

The road safety initiative included monitoring for speeding violations alongside the taxi compliance checks.

Inspector Liz Lockwood of Dewsbury Neighbourhood Policing Team condemned the disruptive behaviour of some local businesses.

She said: “The actions of some businesses have been causing unnecessary disruption and upset to the lives of local residents and those that use other nearby businesses and places of worship.”

She added: “This is unacceptable and resulted in PC Stelfox pulling together last week’s Day of Action to send a very clear message that such an anti-social use of local roads and spaces will not be tolerated.”

Lockwood also confirmed that police are working with Kirklees Local Authority to implement preventative measures to help keep residents safe and stop rulebreakers.

Police have indicated that similar operations are planned for other locations across Dewsbury where parking and vehicle-related issues have been identified.

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