TOUGH new Government measures to tackle car crime and vehicle dumping will help West Mercia Police catch tax and insurance dodgers.

The scheme, launched this week by transport minister David Jamieson will tighten up the licensing system, which will also ensure every vehicle has a traceable keeper.

Currently, there are around one million unlicensed vehicles on the road. Last year, 45,000 of those were in the West Mercia police area, leading to a loss in revenue of £4.6m.

In 2000, 238,000 vehicles were abandoned and the Department for Transport estimates the overall cost of uninsured driving is £500m - adding up to £30 to each honest motorist's annual insurance.

"These new measures will protect the majority of honest and responsible motorists, make the system more secure and make offenders pay," said Mr Jamieson.

Under the new measure, from January 2004:

- Registered keepers of vehicles will be legally responsible at all times for taxing their vehicle.

- This responsibility will now stay with registered keepers until the DVLA is notified that the vehicle has been scrapped, sold, stolen or exported.

- Motorists will face a new automatic £80 penalty if they fail to tax their vehicle on time.

- Offenders will be penalised automatically on the computer record when their tax-disc expires. There will be no longer any need to see the unlicensed vehicle on the road.

Kate Tongue, spokeswoman for West Mercia Police, said the new proposals would help target persistent offenders and reduce crime.

"We have not had the opportunity to study the proposals in detail," she said.

"However, West Mercia Constabulary welcomes any measures that will enable us to target drivers who continue to drive unlicensed and unroadworthy vehicles, and to use them in committing crime."