POLICE have removed 7,500 uninsured cars from West Yorkshire's roads over the last year.

Officers have been using new powers, which means they can seize cars from people if they believe they do not have insurance or the correct driving licence.

If the driver does not prove they are insured or have a driver's licence within seven days, the cars are crushed or - if worth more than £500 - sold at auction.

Police chiefs say many of the cars they have seized are so-called `pool cars' - uninsured cars that are shared among criminals.

Since the campaign began a year ago there has been a fall in crime such as burglaries and car crime, along with a 16% drop in slight injury accidents.

Chief Insp Gary Parker, head of West Yorkshire road policing, said: "This is a good reduction, which helps to make communities feel safer and more secure.

"Many of these vehicles are of poor quality and in a poor state of repair.

"If drivers are uninsured they may not stop at the scene of a collision. They will just continue, because if they stop they would be prosecuted.

"The more vehicles like this we can take off West Yorkshire's roads, the fewer casualties we have and the safer the roads become."

A new scheme is investigating stolen cars - but it will mean drivers' insurance policies will suffer.

When stolen cars are found they are towed away for forensic examination - but the victims' insurance firms will have to foot the bill to remove and store them.

People will either lose their no claims bonus or have to pay an excess.