A ONE-DAY blitz on untaxed vehicles resulted in four cars being seized and one man being arrested.

Easington District Council joined forces with the police and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) this week as part of an on-going campaign to make roads safer.

Four untaxed vehicles were taken off the roads and one of the drivers arrested for having a fraudulent disc.

A spokeswoman for the council warned: "If the owners fail to pay the outstanding road tax, they could face having their vehicles crushed.''

A further three people were fined for failing to display their tax discs.

Ian Hoult, the council's environmental enforcement officer, said: "This is one of the many measures we are undertaking to make east Durham a cleaner, greener and safer place to live.

"We will be continuing to work with the DVLA and the police throughout the year to ensure that vehicle owners abide by the law.

"These operations can take place any time of the week, so drivers should be warned that if they are breaking the law, they stand a good chance of being caught."

The authority has also invited residents to report untaxed vehicles by contacting Envirocall on 0191-527-5040.