Tough new measures to catch car tax dodgers are being used for the first time in west Wales.

Any vehicle caught without road tax will now be clamped at a cost of �200 to the motorist.

There are 17,000 vehicles without road tax in the Dyfed-Powys area

The campaign has begun in Pembroke Dock and is in addition to the roadside Stingray cameras which spot untaxed cars and lorries on the move.

Police will be carrying out roadside checks throughout the region to ensure vehicles are displaying valid tax disks.

Any unlicensed car or lorry caught in this way will also be clamped at the roadside.

If a clamped vehicle is not claimed within 24 hours, it will be towed away and the fee to reclaim it then rises to �280.

Any vehicle which has not been claimed within the space of 14 days will then be crushed.

The scheme is part of the initiative by the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) in Swansea to help recover the estimated �8.8m lost last year to road tax-dodgers in Wales.

It is believed that out of a total number of 256,000 vehicles in the Dyfed-Powys Police force area, there are 17,000 without road tax which means a loss of �1.8m.

Fines

The DVLA says there is now no hiding place for those who think they are beyond the law.

A spokesman said: "Law-abiding motorists have nothing to fear.

"Those whose tax disc has fallen off the windscreen or are a few days late renewing their tax will not be penalised."

Offenders face a fine of up to �1,000 for cars or motorbikes and up to �23,000 for heavy good vehicles.

As well as road tax, police will be checking for other road safety and motoring offences, including driving without insurance or valid MoT certificate.