A REGIONAL blitz on tax-dodging motorists has claimed its first offender.

Earlier this week, drivers were warned they risked having their vehicle clamped and towed away if it is found without a valid tax disc.

A 23-year-old Teesside office worker was stung by the operation on the A183 near Penshaw Monument, Penshaw, near Sunderland, on Monday.

He was told to pay £200 to have the clamp 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 DVLA there are an estimated 15,000 vehicles on the roads in the Durham Constabulary area without a valid tax disc, costing the taxpayer 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, the 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, based in Swansea, is using Stingray cameras, which can detect unlicensed vehicles on the move.