Police in Airedale and North Bradford are using a “ring of steel” camera system to catch illegal drivers.

So far this week eight uninsured motorists have been caught on hi-tech automatic-number-plate-recognition cameras in the Keighley and Shipley area.

The vehicles were seized for reasons including being driven with no insurance and are now facing the scrap.

The owners must prove they have taken action to drive legally or the cars will be sent to the crusher.

The swoop was spearheaded by Airedale and North Bradford Roads Policing and Neighbourhood Policing officers.

They today warned that they plan other operations specifically aimed at people driving without insurance or a licence.

The cameras being used form part of a £300,000 digital anti-crime network.

About 80 cameras are in operation across the Bradford district as part of a scheme by West Yorkshire Police and Bradford Council.

The cameras were first used in a week-long blitz against uninsured drivers earlier this year which resulted in more than 100 cars being taken off the district’s roads.

The operation in Keighley is part of a wider package of road safety work carried out over the past two weeks, including a speedwatch campaign to catch drivers exceeding the limit outside schools and to educate drivers about the dangers of parking dangerously outside school gates.

Neighbourhood Policing Officers have also been active in Keighley this week monitoring levels of seatbelt use in the area to make sure drivers are doing all they can to stay safe.

Superintendent Gary Baker, of Airedale and North Bradford Police, said: “The mini operation using cameras in Shipley and Keighley has really demonstrated how effective they can be in helping us swiftly pinpoint those trying to evade the law.

“The ring of steel is up and running across the whole of the Bradford district.

“The message to those tempted to drive uninsured or without licences is that we are finding you out and we will be taking you off the roads.”

e-mail: clive.white @telegraphandargus.co.uk