New Government measures to clamp down on car tax dodgers who fail to pay an estimated £2.2m in Oxfordshire have been announced.

The measures aim to catch the owners of 19,000 untaxed vehicles on Oxfordshire's roads which are often linked to other crimes, drivers with no insurance and fatal road accidents.

Police and councillors have welcomed the move, which will target illegal motorists who add about £30 to the annual insurance premium of the average driver.

Insp Phil Rogers, of Oxford Police, said: "Anything that helps combat unregistered cars being used for crime is positive, along with targeting those who avoid paying tax.

"Untaxed cars cause the police problems and can be responsible for road deaths."

Susan Brown, Oxford City Council executive member for crime and community safety, said: "Police efforts have shown there is a strong correlation between vehicles not properly taxed or insured and other sorts of crime."

The measures come after efforts earlier this year to clamp down on tax dodgers in Oxford with cameras which recognise number plates and check them against a national tax database, and Operation Cubit, which aimed to clamp and crush about 200 untaxed cars. The measures, which come into force in January next year, will mean registered keepers will be legally responsible for taxing their vehicle, and liable for fines until the DVLA is informed it has been scrapped, sold, stolen or exported.

Drivers will face an automatic £80 fine if they fail to tax their vehicle on time. If they still fail to pay they could be prosecuted and fined a minimum of £1,000.