Staffordshire Police seize 7000 vehicles in just one year

Police seized more than 7,100 vehicles across Staffordshire in just one year - including hundreds in the Potteries. And unclaimed cars, trucks and motorbikes face being crushed or sold off.

An investigation by StokeonTrentLive has revealed how during 2022 the force seized 7,135 vehicles for reasons ranging from not being insured to being used in an anti-social manner. During that same time period officers took a total of 1,018 vehicles from the roads in Stoke-on-Trent.

Once seized and cars, vans, trucks and motorbikes will usually find themselves kept in a compound - with the owner being billed for the recovery and also every 24 hours they are kept there for. However if nobody claims them they will either be crushed or sent off to auction.

The most common reason for vehicles to be taken by officers are for having no insurance, which includes the driver having no licence, with the second most common seizure - both across Staffordshire and the Potteries - coming after a collision. The force say they follow national statutory charges for the recovery and subsequent storage.

For a car the cost of recovery to the owner is £192, with those vehicles over 3.5 tonnes it's £256 and 7.5 tonne trucks cost £448. Charges do rise for cars that have flipped, substantially damaged or have come off the road with the highest bill being £384.

Staffordshire Reason vehicle was seized Total number Uninsured 2,228 Stolen 966 PACE (used in crime) 831 Road traffic collision 2,594 Abandoned 262 Burned out 66 DVLA seizure (no tax etc) 168 Drink-driving 13 Anti-social behaviour 7 Total: 7,135

For trucks over 7.5 tonnes the highest charge - if its carrying cargo - can be up to £5,763 with those over 18 tonnes, and again carrying a load, can cost up to £7,684. According to the national charges laid down by the Government those high bills come if it's off the road and either no long upright or heavily damaged - or both.

Meanwhile motorbikes kept in storage are held at a cost of £13 for every 24 hours while cars are £26 and 18 tonne trucks are £45. The force say this kicks in from midday on the following work day after the vehicle was seized.

A vehicle being seized in Dresden last year

Untaxed cars are classified as a DVLA seizure which have their own rates which include a £100 recovery, if collected within 24 hours, but £200 if past that point. Daily storage for that is £21. Meanwhile police say for the vehicle seizures classified under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) - which the force say is used in crime - there is no fee incurred.

Figures obtained by StokeonTrentLive through a Freedom of Information (FOI) Act show police will seize vehicles that are uninsured, stolen, being used in crime, involved in crashes, abandoned, are burned out, have no tax, or have been used by a a driver other the legal limit.

Stoke-on-Trent Reason vehicle was seized Total number Uninsured 352 Stolen 171 PACE (used in crime) 137 Road traffic collision 276 Abandoned 52 Burned out 12 DVLA seizure (no tax etc) 18 Total: 1,018

A number have also been taken off the road for being used in an 'anti-social' manner. It comes as warning signs have gone up on some North Staffordshire supermarket car parks and retail park to warn boy racers plaguing the area their cars will be taken off them. In Stoke-on-Trent and this issue has been extended to various neighbourhoods where off-road bikes are said to be driven dangerously around both residential areas and on green spaces.

In response the force launched Operation Transom ^[1] again this year with Stoke-on-Trent City Council warning 'nuisance bikers' their tenancies will come under scrutiny if they are caught using a bike illegally. There have been issues around Packmoor, Chell, and Tunstall, with officers vowing to patrol hotspot areas.

A mini-motorbike seized in March last year

While the city figures don't include anti-social behaviour, some of the vehicles spotted being used in such a way may well have not had the correct insurance - or correct licence - and were taken under that reason.

Patrolling road traffic officers will also use ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) technology which can alert them to uninsured cars - or those with 'markers' on around criminality. In addition the force will also roll out dedicated crackdowns where checkpoints are set up to check over vehicles travelling around Staffordshire.

A spokesperson for the force said: "We target criminality on the roads and drivers with no insurance/licence documents. This supports our desire to reduce incidents of people being killed or seriously injured on our roads."

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References

^{^} In response the force launched Operation Transom (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
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