A limousine, a forklift, off-road bikes and scooters were among more than 250 vehicles seized by police in Tayside in 2023.
Data obtained by The Courier shows hundreds of thousands of pounds’ worth of vehicles were taken off the region’s roads in the first 10 months of the year.
That included 12 Mercedes, 20 BMWs, two Jaguars – including a model that sells for nearly £60,000 new – and five Range Rovers.
But the list also included a limousine of an unknown make.
Vehicles seized in Tayside due to no insurance or licence
Perhaps the most unusual vehicle seized by officers was a Manitou Telehandler – a specialist 4×4 forklift.
Officers also seized at least two off-road quadbikes, an adult’s motorised Go Ped scooter and a Spyder moped.
The cars were seized under section 165 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.
This gives police officers the power to seize and compound a vehicle being driven without insurance or a driving licence.
A total of 258 vehicles were seized by police in Tayside in the first 10 months of 2023, down from 472 for the same period the previous year.
Of the vehicles seized, 97 were not claimed back by their owners.
Some choose not to collect their vehicles to avoid the charges, which start at £190 for removal and then £25 each day it is held in storage.
Seized Tayside vehicles sold at auction or scrapped
If the vehicle goes unclaimed, it can be sold on at auction or scrapped by Police Scotland.
Between January and October, Tayside Division sold 10 vehicles at auction – all for less than £1,000.
This included a Mercedes Vito van, which costs between £18,000 and £32,000 to buy new depending on the model.
That vehicle sold for just £708.
Other vehicles sold off included a Range Rover Sport and a Triumph Street motorbike.
The force made a total of just under £6,500 from selling vehicles this way.
The rest of the unclaimed vehicles were scrapped.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Any seized or recovered vehicle, which is not claimed by the registered keeper, will be sold at auction.
“Any remaining amount, once the required fees are paid, is used to support public funding towards Police Scotland.”
Off-road bikes and e-bikes were among the vehicles seized by police in Fife.
Conversation