Police seize 2,000 vehicles

In the year-long police campaign to promote road safety there have also been 459 drivers given fixed penalty tickets for having no insurance and 120 for having no MoT. A massive 1,088 drivers got tickets for having no tax.

Inspector Chris Dawson, of Staffordshire Police's road crime team said: "Uninsured and unlicensed drivers are more likely to be involved in road accidents and in criminality.

"It is too early to tell yet, but we hope that by carrying out the roadside checks we can eventually see a reduction in the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads.

Drivers face fines of up to £320 plus vehicle seizure costs of up to £189 and can only reclaim their vehicle when it has been insured and storage charges of £135 plus £12 per day, paid.

Drivers are given seven working days to reclaim their vehicle or it is crushed.

Invalid

Inspector Dawson said: "Some drivers opt to pay their insurance by monthly payments but fail to pay after they have received the documents.

"Of course, the insurance cover becomes invalid and this information is held on the Police National Computer."

Officers target offenders using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems that show if a vehicle has insurance, an MoT and valid excise licence.

In the last year 2,113 vehicles have been seized.

Inspector Dawson said: "We are hoping to work with the DVLA to identify any hotspots by postcode, although we don't have any breakdown of the figures area by area at the moment.

"It isn't costing us anything as the money we are making in fines covers the cost of enforcing the checks and seizures."