MORE than 10,000 vehicles without insurance have been seized by Hampshire police since 2018 - but numbers are going down.

Data obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request shows that in the past five years 10,000 vehicles were seized by Hampshire Constabulary.

Last year 1,959 vehicles were seized, down from 2,334 in 2020.

This equates to 1.4 seizures for every 1,000 licensed vehicles in the area as of the end of 2021, one of the lowest rates in the country.

At least 1,434 uninsured vehicles have been seized so far this year.

Overall, the force has seen a steady decline in the yearly number of uninsured vehicles.

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In a statement, Hampshire Constabulary said this is a result of its new approach to tackling the number of uninsured drivers on the road.

Letters are sent to drivers identified as being uninsured, encouraging them to take action and ensure their vehicle is ensured before using it.

If the vehicle is then caught being without insurance, officers will seize it.

A police spokesman said: “This approach was introduced around five years ago and we have seen a steady decline in the number of uninsured vehicles being seized in the time since then.”

He added: “This won’t be the approach taken in all instances but is an option available to us and has been used effectively, with the vast majority of those contacted ensuring their vehicle is correctly insured before further use.”

Cabinet Member for Transport and District Regeneration, Cllr Eamonn Keogh said: “We want all motorists on the road to have insurance and for the number of those that don’t to go down to zero.

“I welcome the efforts of the police that drivers who drive with no insurance should be punished because at the end of the day the insurance is there to protect everybody and hopefully this decline will continue.”

Across the UK, more than half a million vehicles have been seized for not having proper insurance since 2018.

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