POLICE chiefs have been left red-faced after a force vehicle was spotted with an out-of-date tax disc.
Northumbria Police was accused of double standards today after the van was seen on an emergency call, displaying a disc expiring on March 31, 2005.
Drivers' groups said staff should be embarrassed about the blunder, with new rules brought in last ye
ar to clamp down on car tax evaders.
Though the disc, spotted while police were called to Tadcaster Road, Thorney Close, was only five days out-of-date, the force's website warns "there is no grace period" for not having a valid road tax disc.
Police forces are exempt from paying for car tax – however they do have to display a valid disc – and the force can claim back the cash.
Police chiefs have pledged to get a new disc.
North East Euro MP, Martin Callanan, said: "The average motorist, who will be hauled over the coals by the police if they forget to renew their tax disc, will be extremely annoyed to see police vehicles getting away with it."
Drivers who fail to relicense their vehicle are automatically fined £80, and the DVLA can now computer-check untaxed cars before they issue fines.
A spokesman for the Association of British Drivers said: "I think there's going to be a very red face somewhere in the administration department.
"But it's the kind of thing that's easy enough to do – plenty of motorists miss the deadline.
"The police have a difficult job to do and anyone could have done this."
Northumbria Police said: "Police vehicles, as Crown vehicles, are exempt from vehicle tax duty.
"We do display a tax disc like other vehicles at no cost. This is clearly an oversight and will be addressed immediately."
A spokesman for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency said: "Crown vehicles are exempt from duty, however the fleet manager in the police will have tax discs for all vehicles.
"They pay for them then apply for a reimbursement."
