A mobile car crushing unit was brought into central Keighley to deliver a stark warning to motorists who dodge paying vehicle insurance.

The crusher made short work of a Peugeot 206, a Citroen Saxo and a Volkswagen Polo, at the Church Green car park.

All three cars had been seized by police as part of a major operation to tackle road-related crime. The initiative was also designed to herald the launch of a £300,000 Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera network in the district.

Chief Supt Allan Doherty, of Airedale and North Bradford police, said his colleagues had stopped more than 1,500 vehicles.

He said of the 100 vehicles they seized, the vast majority was confiscated because the drivers had no insurance.

Chief Supt Doherty said demonstrating the crusher in Keighley town centre was to show motorists exactly what would happen if they tried to beat the car insurance system.

He said the crusher was used to dispose of cars assessed as being below a certain financial value, adding that more valuable seized cars were auctioned off.

He said the ANPR network now meant that those drivers who continued to flout the insurance rules faced a very good chance of being detected and caught. Chief Supt Doherty said: “I read the press and I do see the concerns of some of our citizens about traffic offences.

“We acknowledge that the concerns being raised are legitimate and this operation was meant to reassure the public that we take these issues seriously.

“But this is not just one week — we will continue carrying out this kind of work.

“People who drive antisocially are going to get caught.”

He said that in addition to confiscating vehicles, the overall operation dealt with more than 500 people for traffic offences and saw 26 people arrested.

Cullingworth and Denholme Conservative MP Philip Davies was also present while the cars were being publicly destroyed.

He has been accompanying police officers to learn more about their work, so he can take their views and recommendations back to parliament.

He said he thought highlighting the police’s willingness to deploy the crusher was “terrific”.

He said the reactions from his own constituents have made it clear to him how angry people are at the number of uninsured drivers on the roads.

He said such bitterness is compounded by the knowledge that these law breakers get away with paying far less than properly insured motorists.

He said: “It’s a scourge on our society – we should never have a system where crime pays.

“I’ve always thought that the penalties are too lenient.”