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Scores of 'death trap' cars sent to crusher
POTENTIAL death traps seized from the region's roads line up for the crusher as part of a campaign cracking down on vehicle crime.
Police have seized 400 vehicles since Operation Impact on Crime was launched in South Yorkshire at the beginning of last month.
A further 270 have been hauled in by the DVLA - 170 of which have been crushed.
Offences include safety issues such as bald tyres and loose bumpers, while motorists who failed to pay tax or insurance have also found their car squashed if they failed to cough up within 14 days.
Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Paul Broadbent, who is leading the operation, said: "There are cars with bumpers hanging off and bald tyres - any one of them could have been involved in an accident and killed or seriously hurt someone.
"Some are good quality cars, but which have no tax or insurance. It shows that we do not care how old or how new a car is, if there's no tax or insurance it's going to get towed away."
He added that untaxed and uninsured cars were more likely to be involved in crime - and taking them off the roads frustrated criminals.
The crackdown has also targeted dodgy scrapdealers who handle stolen goods.
South Yorkshire Police's Scrapwatch scheme will focus on Rotherham - where 44 per cent of metal thefts are carried out.
The operation will include regular site visits and automated number plate recognition checks to target unregistered scrapdealers.
Mr Broadbent said: "We want to sit down with all scrap metal dealers and clarify as far as possible what is genuine scrap and what is blatantly stolen.
"We're also asking dealers not to accept scrap from people who come to the yards on foot or from people who bring scrap in wheelie bins."
In Barnsley police have arrested 24 auto criminals in the past seven days and say they believe the men arrested are the borough's "most prolific" car crime offenders.
Police say vital information passed to them by the public has led to 24 important arrests and more than 13,000 of goods stolen from vehicles being recovered.
The crackdown is part of the Maximum Impact on Crime campaign which is entering its fifth week in Yorkshire and Humberside.
The campaign has netted 6,035 arrests so far, 170 in South Yorkshire last week.
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Weather for Sheffield
Tuesday 22 May 2012
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