Police clamp down on "illegal" cars
There have recently been notifications on the Police web site here that a series of road blocks would be set up in different places in an attempt to catch people who come to live here and drive from their own countries, but who do not re register their cars onto Spanish plates. Apparently they are liaising with the DVLC in this clamp down.
Taking a friend home today we remarked that there seemed to be a lot of gruas on the road going the opposite way to us.
A little further on we found out why. A road block. There were at least 8 police vehicles and around 15 policemen from the Trafico Dept. The road had been cordoned off into a narrow lane that all vehicles had to pass through, both sides, going up and going down. I think they must have been doing illegal cars, drink driving and drugs all at the same time. One of the police vehicles had the big flashing "Drink,Drugs" sign on the roof.
As our turn came we could see there were another 4 cars that had been pulled out and parked in the lane they had marked out for vehicles that were not going to be driven any further. The first thing they looked at on my car, was the windscreen to check there was a current ITV sticker (MOT), then my driving licence and car documentation. I had no concerns, everything is legal. I don't drink and I don't use drugs.
It was quite funny though to see some people trying to turn round and go back to avoid the check, but they couldn't, there was nowhere to go.
I imagine that today's check will cost a few people quite a lot of money, and probably more trouble having to make their own way to wherever they were driving to.
I don't know how long this particular clamp down is scheduled for, but nobody knows where and when the next one will be.
I'm not ashamed to say I have little or no sympathy for those caught, they break the law, they must be prepared to take the consequences.
It will be interesting to see how the campaign went when the reports actually get onto the web site, and no doubt the local newspapers.