Police tell cautionary tale about buying cheap vehicles 'no questions asked' after car seized in Ryton-on-Dunsmore

Operational Patrol Unit (OPU) Warwickshire stopped a Volkswagen Golf in Ryton-on Dunsmore on March 26, finding that it had been cloned and was on false number plates.

"It might be the fact the driver had no Insurance Tax, MOT and a provisional licence that they were not too fussed about the true identity of the vehicle," a spokesperson for OPU Warwickshire said on the unit's Facebook page.

Police seized the vehicle and the driver has been reported to court.

What is a cloned car?

Car thieves and those seeking to use a vehicle to commit crimes will 'clone' a vehicle by finding a similar, non-stolen, vehicle that is legally on the road.

Some will steal number plates for this purpose, while others will use unscruplulous suppliers to have number plates of legal cars copied.

Warwickshire Police recommends the use of non-reversible number plate screws to help prevent your number plates being stolen.

The number plate screws are special one-way devices that cannot be unscrewed once fitted.

Meaning any attempt to steal the plate would require force, causing the plate to break - making it useless for criminals.

Click here for advice from West Midlands Police on how to spot, and avoid buying, a cloned vehicle.