SIXTY drivers had their vehicles clamped in a blitz on road tax dodgers.

And traffic wardens today warned motorists that further operations would ensure all tax cheats are snared.

Teams of officers acted on tip-offs and patrolled the streets and said they were amazed at how many dodgers they found.

They have promised to use the Driver and Vehicles Licence Agency (DVLA) - who are responsible for clamping vehicles - as much as once a week to catch more cheats.

Ron Fielding, a traffic warden in the Accrington area, said: "In the future we'll put road checks on the roads, stopping people in their vehicles on the way to work.

:That will catch a lot more, and police traffic officers will also be there to check MOTs and insurance.

"We've got a big problem. People ring us up to tip us off because they are annoyed that they are paying for tax and their neighbours are not.

"It has got so out of hand that we didn't want to wait any longer until we took some action. In the future it will be on a regular basis.

"If we request the DVLA they will be here. "

Latest figures suggest there are 715,006 licensed vehicles in Lancashire, and an estimated 37,000 avoid the tax.

It costs £80 to have a clamp removed and a valid tax disc must be provided before vehicles can be recovered.

If a disc cannot be produced a £120 surety must be paid, if one is not bought in two weeks the vehicles can be clamped again.

Vehicles not claimed in 24 hours are towed away, in which time the fee increases to £160, on top of a £15 per day storage fee.

Drivers could also be punished with fines of up to £1,000 for back tax.