Police forces are set to be handed ‘Big Brother’ powers to raid the homes of drivers suspected of dodging Labour’s new pay-per-mile road tax scheme.
Under the biggest shake-up of road tax laws for decades, officers and transport officials will be responsible for cracking down on anyone suspected of ‘odometer fraud’ when calculating their bill for using the roads.
According to laws drawn up by ministers, officers can ‘enter any premises’ where a vehicle is registered and ‘inspect’, ‘test’ and ‘detain’ family vehicles ‘for such time as is required to inspect or test it’.
They can also force motorists to ‘move the vehicle to a place where an inspection or test can be carried out’. A new criminal offence for not complying will be created.
But the proposals sparked a furious backlash from MPs and civil liberties campaigners last night, who branded it ‘another power grab by the state’ and warned that motorists where honest mistakes had been made face having a police officer knocking at the door.
They also said the proposals were yet more proof that ‘Labour’s war on drivers has gone into overdrive’ and that they would be a waste of police time for already over-stretched forces.
