A CRACKDOWN on road tax cheats swung into action across Hampshire on Monday.

The two week campaign by the DVLA and police includes the use of new Stingray cameras which can detect unlicensed vehicles on the move.

Traffic police are carrying out roadside checks.

Officers are also performing spot-checks to make sure drivers have valid insurance and MoT certificates.

Enforcement clamping teams are scouring the county's streets on the look-out for any unlicensed vehicles.

Figures suggest there are around 56,000 road tax dodgers on the roads in Hampshire - costing an estimated £6.5million in lost revenue.

The county is currently the fifth worst county in Britain for tax disc dodgers.

Road tax cheats caught by the new Stingray cameras could face prosecution, with fines of up to £1,000 for cars and motorcycles and up to £23,000 for a heavy goods vehicle.

In addition, offenders will have to pay all the back duty owing from the date when the vehicle was last licensed.

The DVLA said law-abiding motorists had nothing to fear.

Those whose tax disc has fallen off the windscreen, or who are a few days late renewing their tax will not be penalised. During the last campaign, 7,600 drivers in Hampshire re-licensed their vehicles.