A BLITZ on drivers could mean hefty fines for anyone who is slap-dash with their paperwork.

The police in Lancashire are having a crackdown on drivers who fail to register changes in vehicle ownership.

From now on anyone stopped by the police will automatically be checked with the DVLA in Swansea to see if the vehicle's owner has registered as its keeper.

If there is no match, the owner has just 14 days in which to have the vehicle registered. Anyone who fails to comply will be prosecuted and could be fined up to £1,000.

Clampdown organiser Sergeant John Clucas said: "There has been concern for some time about the number of vehicles which, for various reasons, are not registered following a change of owner.

"The law requires both seller and buyer to notify the DVLA of such changes and an important part of police work is the ability to check ownership of a vehicle following serious crimes, fatal accidents, drink driving and minor traffic offences.

"The benefit to owners is that they can, for instance, be notified if their vehicle is subject to a manufacturer's recall and can be contacted immediately if their vehicle is stolen and later found abandoned."

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