Police seize more than 100 uninsured Leicestershire vehicles
Police have seized more than 100 vehicles across Leicestershire in the last year as part of a clampdown on persistent motoring offenders.
Operation Hopper was launched in response to rising concerns about the number of uninsured drivers on the county’s roads and it focused on locating vehicles linked to multiple speeding and red‑light offences, as well as those operating without valid insurance.
Officers have seized 105 vehicles in total over the last 12 months, all of which were uninsured and were collectively linked to over 500 outstanding speeding or red light offences.
One driver, alone, had amassed 45 penalty points, far beyond the threshold that would normally trigger licence revocation.
Vehicles seized under the operation have been scrapped, sold at auction, or returned to finance companies, depending on legal status and ownership.
Intelligence sharing between the Road Safety Unit and the Roads Policing Unit has strengthened the force’s ability to identify high‑risk drivers quickly and effectively.
Matthew Chester, road safety unit manager at Leicestershire Police, said: “Operation Hopper intends to send out a clear warning to those drivers who think they can flout the law and pose the highest risk to innocent road users.
"Arrests have been made, cars have been seized, and we will continue to take decisive action to protect the public.
“This anniversary marks not just a year of enforcement, but a year of partnership, prevention, and progress.
"Operation Hopper will continue to evolve as we work to make the roads across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland safer for everyone.”
The operation will continue to expand intelligence‑led enforcement and use data analytics to identify repeat offenders earlier.