Almost 300 motorists have been collared in a record-breaking blitz on car tax dodgers in Brighton.

A total of 25 unregistered vehicles were towed away for crushing and another 258 issued with penalty notices. Their owners face a maximum £1,000 fine.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority inspectors said the first two days of the action in Brighton had broken all records for the number of fines issued in such a short time.

They trawled the city's Whitehawk Estate with community beat officers, searching for untaxed vehicles.

The teams were able to use special powers to clamp cars parked on land owned by the council, usually a refuge for tax dodgers.

The operation, organised by the New Deal for the Community's safety team, follows a six-month amnesty in which owners of unwanted cars could have them towed away for free.

The crackdown will continue for the rest of the week in Moulsecoomb, Saunders Park and the Bates Estate.

Officers said many of the cars found had been dumped by rogue tow-away firms. Others had been reported stolen and all were potential targets for criminals and arsonists.

PC Darren Grimes, a beat officer in Whitehawk for six years, said most people in the area had welcomed the blitz.

He said: "We're aware of a number of motor traders who charge people £30 or £40 to take their cars away but then just dump them up here on the estates where they know they won't be seen.

"For many people living here, this operation has been a long time coming. One resident came up to me and said she'd never seen her street so empty of cars."

Sergeant Tony Lumb said the teams would return to the estate two days a month.

He said: "This has been very successful and it's a problem we want to try to keep a lid on.

"The cars are being dumped on the estates from all over the city. We're responding to requests from the law-abiding majority of people in the area to take action."

John Mitchell, the New Deal's community safety team leader, said: "This is another good example of joint working between the police, council, DVLA and the New Deal team.

The abandoned cars in the area have been a cause for concern for a long time.

"This won't be a one-off and we will continue working together to tackle it."