Vehicles seized this year

CARS and bikes worth more than £200,000 were sold on by Police Scotland after officers seized them from the streets of Tayside and Fife this year.

Data from Police Scotland shows a total of 745 cars were seized by the force between January and October this year.

This includes vehicles officers seized because they were being driven without valid insurance or a driving licence.

Officers in Tayside division, which includes Dundee, Angus and Perth and Kinross, seized a total of 505 cars throughout the year.

This included a Mercedes 300 E, which retails for just under £50,000, as well as a number of high-performance motorbikes.

Of the 505 vehicles seized in the division, 483 went uncollected by the owner and were either sold at auction or scrapped.

In Fife, 240 cars were taken off the streets, police data shows, with 223 vehicles uncollected.

One unlucky motorist had their high-end Porsche Cayenne, which can cost up to £85,000 new, seized. It is not known if the luxury vehicle was one of the 223 in Fife not reclaimed by its owner.

Another driver caught without a licence or insurance in the kingdom had their smart car seized.

Off-road bikes made up a large number of the vehicles seized, with Police Scotland officers in Tayside working to reduce the number used illegally in Dundee in particular.

This included one bike valued at over £4,000 which was seized by undercover officers after its rider was caught using it illegally.

The blue and black Sur Ron electric off-road bike was seized in August during Operation Challenge.

Cars and other vehicles seized and not collected provided funds for the force, who are able to sell them on at auction or collect the scrap value when they receive permission to destroy the vehicle.

Some choose not to collect their vehicle to avoid the charges, which start at £150 for the removal charge and then £20 per day it is held in storage.

The estimated value of cars sold at auction by Police Scotland was more than £2.5 million across the country.

This included vehicles that owners either did not collect or gave permission to be scrapped or sold.

In Tayside and Fife, the force pocketed £228,341 from sales of these vehicles.

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.”

More than £200,000 worth of cars and bikes were sold on by Police Scotland after being seized.