AROUND three vehicles a week have been seized by police across Dorset last year.

Figures from the Dorset Police No Excuse team revealed that 171 vehicles were seized for having no insurance in 2015. And so far this year 33 motorists have lost their vehicles for driving without the right documents.

No Excuse team leader Sergeant Stuart Pitman is now warning motorists to get their insurance documents in order otherwise they could be in for a costly experience.

“There are motorists out there that simply think they can just get away without insuring their vehicles but thanks to our ANPR technology in the cars and our ‘eagle-eyes’ we are catching more and more of these drivers,” said Sgt Pitman.

“However, many of the people we catch have simply forgotten to change their insurance policy to a new vehicle when they buy a new car.

“But the most common is when they think they have third party cover to drive other cars and don’t.

“All insurance documentation comes with a warning to check the details and phone immediately if not correct but people don’t and then wonder why they lose their car.

“It can be very costly for these drivers as well as the penalty for driving without insurance is either a fixed penalty ticket for £300 and six points on your licence or a summons to court.

“On top of that if your vehicle is seized, which the majority are, it will cost £150 to get it back plus £20 a day storage.”

The Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) is the mechanism in the UK through which compensation is provided for victims of accidents caused by uninsured and untraced drivers. It is funded by an estimated £30 a year from every insured driver’s premiums.

The MIB warns that one in 25 drivers (around one million vehicles) in the UK has no insurance – making the likelihood of being hit by an uninsured driver higher than almost anywhere else in Europe.