£200k Ferrari among the 10,000 cars seized in one year by West Midlands Police
Porsches, Bentleys and a Ferrari were among thousands of cars seized in the West Midlands over the last year after their drivers were found without insurance.
West Midlands Police removed 10,051 cars from uninsured drivers in 2017, including 506 BMWs and 440 Audis.
And 6,574 vehicles were crushed after drivers failed to produce an insurance certificate within the seven days allowed by law.
Officers also took six Porsches, three Bentleys and a Ferrari off the region's roads.
The overall figure number of uninsured seizures dropped by more than 3,000 compared to 2016, when 13,425 vehicles were seized in the West Midlands.
Last month Zahid Khan's £200,000 Ferrari 458 Spider was crushed by WMP for having no valid insurance. He has vowed to sue the force over it.
WATCH Khan's Ferrari get crushed here:
Once a car is taken by police, drivers are required to provide proof of ownership of the vehicle and a valid insurance certificate.
But a spokesman for WMP said the force had seen 'many cases' where people had been unable to prove that they owned the vehicle they were stopped in.
This can happen because they are not the registered keeper or haven’t notified the DVLA of a change of ownership, the spokesman added.
"Some drive without insurance and once the vehicle has been compounded it can be difficult and expensive to get insurance.
"If a valid insurance certificate cannot be provided within seven days, the vehicle will be disposed of after 14 days in compound.
"We carry out a number of proactive operations to target illegal vehicles and take them off our streets, which includes the use of our automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) system.
"All vehicles seized are carefully checked, if the correct documentation is not produced in seven days they are destroyed."
The vehicles seized are part of a crackdown by police on uninsured and unlicensed drivers over the past year.
Those caught driving without insurance face being hit with between six to eight points on their licence, a £300 fixed penalty notice or substantial fine if the matter is pursued through the courts.
Natasha Allmark, a Lib Dem campaigner in the Black Country, said: "It is laughable that super-car owners don't have any insurance.
"It takes the mickey, but it also hikes up the premiums of average, safe drivers to cover the costs of a reckless few."
The force also sells off some seized vehicles at auction.
Last year it sold off a total of 180, including 23 BMWs and 17 Audis, raising more than £280,000.
Police powers to seize and destroy uninsured vehicles were introduced by Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson when he was a road safety minister in 2004.
He said the legislation was necessary to stop law-abiding motorists from 'paying the price' for uninsured drivers.
