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Police are due to be given new powers to clamp foreign drivers who break British laws and refuse to pay fines. Under a new amendment to the Road Safety Bill, police would be able to hand out on-the-spot fines to overseas motorists who break the law.
Drivers who do not pay will have their cars clamped at the side of the road.
The government is primarily concerned with foreign lorry drivers who give false addresses to avoid prosecution, and are never chased up.
Overseas motorists often avoid punishment over minor offences because of difficulty in chasing up non-payment of fines or court appearances.
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Foreign drivers also cannot be given fixed penalties with penalty points.
Tougher measures
Foreign hauliers are estimated to commit thousands of offences every year, BBC transport correspondent Tom Symonds said.
They are believed to be four times more likely than British hauliers to flout the rules on how many hours they can drive without a break.
If they don't pay, they don't drive away
Department for Transport spokesman
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Under the current law, lorry drivers from other countries caught breaking the law in the UK are only required to give an address to police before being allowed to leave.
The new law would allow police to fine drivers on-the-spot and clamp any vehicles where the driver has refused to pay up.
Foreign drivers would be able to challenge any charges in court and receive a refund if they succeed.
The Department for Transport hopes the proposed law will "close the door on foreign drivers who think they can offend here and disappear".
"With the measures we are introducing, if they don't pay, they don't drive away. It's as simple as that," a spokesman said.
"It is about making our roads safer and creating a level playing field as this is common practice across Europe."
