Police are putting the squeeze on car crime on two Bradford estates.

On a "day of action" at Ravenscliffe and Thorpe Edge yesterday, 63 drivers were stopped for having no tax disc, four abandoned cars were crushed and there were eight theft and drug-related arrests.

The DVLA and Bradford Council helped officers from Bradford North division with the crackdown.

Police said they wanted residents to know they were taking notice of their complaints. Sgt Paul Hepworth said: "Every time we come in contact with the public they tell us how fed up they are of abandoned cars outside their homes. Today's action is about reassuring the public we are doing our job and listening to them."

It was the use of a mobile car crusher - that transformed one Ford Fiesta into what looked like a small filing cabinet in little under a minute - that did much of the reassuring.

But as the figures show, there was more than just muscle-flexing going on, as stop-checks took place all day along Harrogate Road.

Nine people without a valid tax disc not only had their cars clamped, but were then ordered to stump up the cash to the DVLA on the spot. Some drivers were even sent home to get the money. Four vehicles will remain clamped until their owners pay up.

Even taxi drivers got a grilling: Hackney Carriage inspectors were at the roadside to ensure all the regulations were abided by - like checking for fire extinguishers and the state of their tyres. A worrying 12 out of the 25 private hire vehicles stopped have been suspended from operating because they did not comply with rules.

But what police were looking for above all were unlicensed drivers - those who are more likely to abandon cars - so they could tackle the problem from both sides.

"By taking cars off the road we are reducing crime, as they are more likely to be used in crime and anti-social behaviour," said Sgt Hepworth. "We want to show how positive we are being".

One passer-by, however, was not impressed: "They've got no chance of catching the culprits," he commented.

But Sgt Hepworth was very bullish about the day.

"I'm delighted today was such a great success, with the police working alongside other agencies to try to make people's lives more desirable," he said. "We have listened to what the public wanted and more importantly we have responded to those needs".

Councillor Kris Hopkins, Bradford Council's Executive Member for Community, said: "We are pleased to be supporting this operation as part of our efforts to clamp down on anti-social behaviour.

"We receive a number of complaints about people causing problems for others with vehicles or about abandoned cars and this is another step along the way to tackling these issues."