Kent’s Cubit tops national league for cracking down on untaxed cars

Wednesday 6 January 2010

Kent's groundbreaking initiative to crackdown on untaxed cars, Operation Cubit, is currently the country's top performer for clearing unlicensed vehicles off the road.

The Kent Cubit Partnership picks up untaxed vehicles, those whose tax is more than a month overdue and cars in breach of a Statutory Off Road Notice (SORN), and destroys them unless they are reclaimed by their owners.

Figures published by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency show the Kent Cubit Partnership removed 162 vehicles in November – more than any other devolved powers local authority or body in the country.

Kent County Council Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Waste Nick Chard said: "This is a cracking success for all those bodies that make up the Kent Cubit Partnership. It demonstrates our ability to communicate effectively so that we all work together to make Kent a better place to live.

"Operation Cubit benefits Kent's residents by reducing vehicle dumping, cutting car crime, bringing down the number of vehicle fires and lowering the risk of safety hazards to children."

Kent Police Inspector Terry Chuter, who leads the Canterbury and Coastal Neighbourhood Policing teams, said: "Often cars that are untaxed are uninsured and, in some cases, not roadworthy. By taking these vehicles off the streets we are making a positive difference in our communities.

"We know that local residents find these vehicles a blight on their neighbourhoods, so we would encourage them to let the council or their local neighbourhood police teams know of any other untaxed or abandoned vehicles in their area, so these can be dealt with the next time Operation Cubit is run in the area."