A ROADBLOCK to trap motorists of unlicensed vehicles has been hailed as a major success.

A number of motorists were targeted by police yesterday as they closed the net on road tax dodgers.

In total, nearly 50 motorists have had their cars clamped in Blackburn with Darwen since Monday as part of a county-wide initiative by police and DVLA officials to get unlicensed cars off the road. Some vehicles could end up crushed as part of the blitz.

Police believe there could be up to 37,000 unlicensed vehicles on Lancashire's roads -- amounting up to a massive £4.5million in lost revenue.

A road block was set up yesterday on the A666 Bolton Road, Darwen, under the motorway bridge, as part of the campaign, which police said was a huge success.

Inspector Tracie O'Gara said: "It was a great success and reinforces our stance that road tax dodgers will not be tolerated. We are very happy with these results and it sends the message: 'get your car taxed or risk having it clamped'." She added that a number of death-trap vehicles were removed from the roads as part of the campaign.