A regional blitz on tax-dodging motorists has already claimed its first victim. Earlier this week, drivers were warned they risk having their vehicle clamped and towed away if found without a relevant tax disc.

And that's exactly what happened to a 23-year-old Teesside office worker who was stung by the operation on the A183 near the Penshaw Monument, Penshaw, near Sunderland, on Monday.

He was told to pay £200 to have the clamped removed, but will get £120 of that back if he buys a tax disc within 14 days.

Earlier this month officers in the three North-East forces joined the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in the regional clampdown.

According to the Swansea-based DVLA there an estimated 15,000 vehicles currently on the roads in the Durham Constabulary area without a valid tax disc, costing the tax payer an estimated £1.7m.

In the whole of the region, including Cleveland and Northumbria forces, there are an estimated 57,000 unlicensed vehicles, leading to a shortfall of £6.7m.

Since the launch and campaign has been extensively advertised including television adverts featuring Lady Penelope and Parker from the Thunderbirds series.

For the first time in the North-East the DVLA is now using 'Stingray' cameras, which can detect unlicensed vehicles on the move.