IT'S been a crushing time for motorists who have abandoned their cars or not paid their road tax.

The government's Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has joined forces with Fylde Borough Council and police and fire officers to clamp down on those who won't cough up their licence money.

To prove they're serious, the authorities have warned irresponsible owners their cars WILL be squashed if they don't pay up, using a mobile crusher to demonstrate their point.

So far the threat seems to be working. According to a DVLA spokeswoman no unlicensed cars have yet been crushed under 'Operation Cubit', but 69 vehicles have been clamped since the exercise began on March 3.

But 54 owners have paid the £80 release fee for their clamped cars, while 21 cars have been impounded -- the stage between a car being wheel clamped and being crushed.

Unless their owners can produce a valid tax disc, or pay a £120 surety fee, their cars will be crunched.

Even if they get their cars back, owners face being taken to court for any outstanding road tax.

"Many unlicensed vehicles also have no insurance, no MOT certificates and are committing other road safety offences," said a DVLA spokesman.

"These vehicles are a hazard to road users, look unsightly and are an easy target for vehicle arson."

John Moore, DVLA's enforcement manager, said: "We are delighted to be working alongside the partnership to tidy up the streets of the Fylde.

"The aim is to make the area a centre of excellence for this type of operation and demonstrate what can be achieved in dealing with this ever-increasing environmental problem."