Police have launched a campaign to remove uninsured vehicles from the roads.

Operation Tutelage uses existing automated systems to see if vehicles are insured and the owners of those which are not are contacted and have three weeks to rectify the issue.

It was initially trailed by Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Police in which 2,400 notifications were sent out in a four-month period and of those 80 per cent were subsequently insured.

In Oswestry, the local policing team has been tackling the issue of no insurance, along with no MOT or tax and has been seizing vehicles.

Inspector Nick Doyle, who is leading the introduction of Op Tutelage across West Mercia, said uninsured drivers cost £250 million every year and are three times more like to be involved in a fatal collision.

He added: “Our aim is to make roads in the West Mercia Policing area safer for our communities by dramatically reducing the number of uninsured vehicles being used. This will be achieved through a combination of tactics including awareness, education and ultimately targeted enforcement.”

Driving without insurance carries a fixed penalty of £300 and six penalty points at the roadside. If the matter goes to court it is an obligatory endorsement of six to eight points, a discretionary disqualification and an unlimited fine.