Cowboy traders selling cars from the roadside are being targeted in a new crackdown by the authorities.

Sellers will have to produce the logbook, MoT and insurance certificate during spot checks - otherwise their cars could be towed away.

Complaints and two petitions have been submitted from residents and business owners in the district about the inconvenience caused by cars for sale.

Bradford Council and West Yorkshire Police started the campaign yesterday by placing warning stickers on cars in Whetley Lane, a problem area where as many as 15 cars have been parked up for sale in normal parking spaces.

Other areas described as hotspots, include Harrogate Road, Leeds Road, Wakefield Road, Allerton Road and Killinghall Road.

Councillor Anne Hawkesworth, executive member for the environment, said: "These vehicles cause obstructions on roads, grass verges and pavements. People cannot park near their homes and customers cannot get near to businesses. They also look an eyesore.

"We would advise people not to buy from unscrupulous roadside traders as they will have limited legal rights and the cars are possibly unroadworthy."

The Council and police have already written to garage owners warning them they will be fined £70 under the Clean Neighbourhood and Environment Act 2005 if their cars for sale spill over on to the pavement, grass verge or road.

The initiative will see police and highways officers match vehicle registration and telephone numbers from a database to identify persistent culprits.

PC Vaughan Evans said: "This is becoming a real problem now, even more so than abandoned or uninsured vehicles.

"We have previously been contacting the owners, but we feel our warnings have been ignored. We will now be taking firmer action to solve the problem and can remove the vehicles if owners refuse to provide details or move the vehicle.

"A lot of the cars for sale in these circumstances are unroadworthy and are often bought cheaply at auction, polished up and sold by cowboy traders with no come back for the customer. I would urge people not to entertain the thought of buying such a vehicle."

Ayub Khan, the Council's senior highways enforcement officer, said those responsible were taking the cheap option of selling cars from the roadside rather than paying for a garage forecourt.

He warned cowboy traders their vehicles would be issued with warning stickers and, if necessary, removed.

People selling their own car privately outside their own property are quite entitled to do so, stressed Mr Khan.