A van overflowing with rubbish was one of seven vehicles seized in Woolwich in a bid to remove unlicensed cars from the roads in the borough.

Police officers alongside council staff teamed up to catch illegal vehicles as part of a campaign to catch vehicles being used for crimes such as fly-tipping and transporting stolen goods.

Seven vehicles including a van and a BMW were among those seized in the action in Woolwich’s John Wilson Street to pull over drivers for licence, insurance and waste carrier checks.

The van was seized as the driver did not have written authority to transport commercial waste and the BMW was confiscated as it did not have valid tax to be on the road.

Two arrests were also made with one for the possession of a dangerous weapon and the other for handling stolen goods.

Simon Dobinson, borough commander for Greenwich metropolitan police service, said: “This is a great example of the work we are carrying out with Royal Greenwich to stop crimes that impact on the lives of residents such as fly tipping before they happen.

“Removing unlicensed and uninsured vehicles makes the borough’s roads much safer and it is a successful way of netting those involved in criminal activities including fly tipping.

“Uninsured drivers are five times more likely to be involved in an accident and are unlikely to have their vehicles MOT certified.”