Almost 9,000 vehicles seized on Staffordshire's streets in the last year

Nearly 9,000 vehicles were seized on Staffordshire's streets in the last year - and more than a third were left to be sold or destroyed.

Vehicles were removed from the county's roads for a number of reasons, including not having tax, being found abandoned, used in crimes or involved in a road traffic collision.

A total of 8,813 were seized up to the end of April, 2018. Staffordshire Police were unable to provide a figure for the previous year.

Of this number, 3,372 vehicles were not collected, so were either scrapped or sent to auction, depending on the respective value.

Money raised from the auctions are held in an account for up to 12 months from the time when the vehicle was seized, which can be claimed back by the owner minus expenses. At the end of the 12 months, the money is invested into the force's roads policing projects.

Seizures of vehicles are handled and processed by the force's vehicle recovery unit, based in Stafford. The unit speaks with officers involved and the owner of the vehicle to make sure they are identified correctly, stored and released if appropriate.

Whenever a vehicle is seized, the registered owner is sent a notice letter informing them of its location with an accompanying guide on how to reclaim it.

Inspector Andrew Chapman, who leads the vehicle recovery unit on the force, said: "Our zero tolerance approach has seen our vehicle recovery unit do an incredible job in co-ordinating the disposal of so many vehicles.

"With the support of local officers I hope this sends a clear message that you must tax and insure your vehicle or you will be caught.

"The vehicle recovery team work very hard to contact the owner and give them ample opportunity to reclaim their vehicle with the right documentation. But there are a high number of vehicles not collected and ultimately disposed of each month, many of which have been seized for no tax or insurance."

The 8,813 seized vehicles can be broken down, with 3,267 having no insurance and 481 not taxed. The remaining 5,065 vehicles were removed from the roads for involvement in road traffic collisions, having been identified as stolen, or had been used in a crime or abandoned by its owner.

Staffordshire Police have reminded drivers to be aware of their legal obligations before heading out on the county's roads, which can be found online at www.gov.uk/legal-obligations-drivers-riders .