Car insurance dodgers caught on the road face having their vehicles seized and crushed by police in a countywide clampdown which started on Friday.

Operation Takeaway will see Cumbria police target persistent criminals, particularly banned drivers, those who have never taken a test, drivers who ignore courts summonses and drink drivers.

Inspector Iain Clarke said: "Those drivers that fail to insure themselves pose a risk to other road users and need to be removed from our roads."

Drivers often abandon their untaxed, untested and uninsured cars by the roadside, according to police.

These vehicles are often stripped for parts, used as playgrounds by children and can be set on fire, all of which lowers the quality of life for residents in the surrounding area.

Operation Takeaway involves Cumbria Constabulary, the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership, local councils, Cumbria Fire Service and the Association of British Insurers.

The operation was originally piloted in West Cumbria and began in July. So far more than 30 cars have been confiscated and crushed.

Police estimate that one in 20 motorists nationwide drive without adequate insurance cover, totally around one million drivers.

Police reckon this means responsible drivers, who have insurance, have to pay an average of an extra £30 for their cover.

They claim the cost to victims of accidents with uninsured drivers is £500 million each year.

Uninsured drivers have been involved in eight fatal road traffic collisions in Cumbria between March 2003 and April 2004.

It is estimated that the aftermath of every such accident costs the taxpayer around £1.6 million.