A VIGILANTE is driving car tax dodgers into the arms of the law with bogus enforcement notices.

Official-looking notices are appearing on the windscreens of untaxed cars parked in Middlesbrough, ordering their owners to report to their nearest police station.

So far, two motorists have turned up at the front desk of the Middlesbrough station with their driving documents -- only to be told that it was not the police who asked them to attend.

The bogus notices carry the logos of both Cleveland Police and the DVLA, which may have been downloaded from computer websites, but neither organisation has anything to do with their distribution.

"It's almost friendly vigilante action," said Acting Sergeant Colin Whitfield who is heading an official operation removing untaxed cars from the streets.

"The notices look official and would be good enough to get ordinary people to come down to the police station with their documents."

Carrying out joint monthly swoops the police, the DVLA and Middlesbrough Council take untaxed cars off the streets, which if remain unclaimed after a week are crushed. "What I would really like is the person who is doing this to contact us and give us any information about where untaxed cars can be found and we will do our best," said Mr Whitfield.

The bogus notices have so far appeared in the Acklam area of the town.

They refer to "road fund licensing" - a term that has not been used for years.