Police catch man driving a cloned car in Rugby - his excuse got top marks for originality

On Wednesday, October 23, officers from Operational Patrol Unit (OPU) Warwickshire pulled over a 2016 Ford Transit van.

Further investigation revealed that the van had been stolen in Wolverhampton, and the visible chassis numbers had been altered in an attempt to hide its identity.

But the twist came less than a minute later when officers came across a Citroën Xsara Picasso with a cloned number plate.

When quizzed, the driver claimed he had just repaired the car with 'bumpers' from a scrap yard - and had left the number plates on those bumpers on.

Unsurprisingly, the officers were not convinced, although a spokesperson for the unit said: "10/10 for originality."

The Citroën was also found to have no tax, MOT or insurance.

Officers reported the driver to court and seized the car.