Isle of Man road tax: ANPR used in attempt to spot untaxed vehicles

The cameras have been in operation in locations across the Isle of Man

The introduction of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology will lead to the end of paper tax discs for vehicles on the Isle of Man, the government has said.

Roadside cameras have been operating across the island this week to identify untaxed or unregistered vehicles.

Owners of vehicles found to be breaking the law face a fine of up to £2,000.

Infrastructure Minister Ray Harmer said the use of ANPR would ensure the roads were "funded by those who use them".

Income from vehicle duty, known as road tax, is used by the department to fund road and footpath maintenance, flood management, and hedge cutting.

Paper tax discs were phased out in the UK from October 2014.

It is the first time the technology has been used for this purpose on the island.

'Socially unacceptable'

The technology uses roadside cameras to capture number plates, which are then checked against the Department of Infrastructure's database of registered vehicles.

On the Isle of Man, road tax is payable annually, and vehicles imported to the island must be registered and taxed "as soon as they arrive".

Changing to the paperless system will result in "a reduction in administrative costs" for government, the department said.

Mr Harmer said, as well as being against the law, a failure to pay road tax was "socially unacceptable".

"The vast majority of people settle what is due on time and expect strong action to be taken against anyone who attempts to avoid paying," he added.