Almost a dozen untaxed cars a day have been clamped or impounded in Bradford by DVLA officials.

Motorists are now being warned to tax their vehicles.

The DVLA has confirmed that within the last week contractors has taken enforcement action against 79 cars.

They said that officials travelled to different areas on a day-to-day basis and where an untaxed vehicle was sighted on the public road then enforcement action was taken. The details of where the cars were found has not been released.

The figures have been released days after the DVLA swooped on a Bradford taxi firm that doubles up as a car sales forecourt. Last Friday, agency enforcement officers put stickers on 12 cars parked outside Girlington Taxis in Girlington Road and were at the scene for more than four hours checking if those vehicles should have road tax.

The day before, they had seized two untaxed cars belonging to taxi boss Asif Shah that were parked opposite the business in the car park of the now closed Girlington pub.

Mr Shah, who claims he had permission to use the pub’s private land for overspill from the landlord before it closed, said there had been a mix-up.

“We have been paying our taxes as a business to the Council but it seems we have only been paying as a taxi office,” he said. “The Council has not assessed us, it seems, for the forecourt according to the DVLA so there’s been a mix-up and we need to get it sorted out – it’s between us and the Council now.

“We honestly thought we had everything covered.”

Girlington Taxis has been running for more than 25 years and has been operating as a used car sales trade centre for the past seven months.