Uninsured drivers are being warned that they do not need to be on the road to be found out.

A new scheme is cross-checking records, which is catching up to 3,000 people per day.

The Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB), which operates the scheme alongside the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), sent out its five millionth warning letter in October.

The MIB said the system means uninsured drivers, who face having their vehicle crushed as well as other penalties, will be caught.

Neil Drane, head of enforcement at MIB, said: "There really is nowhere to hide.

"Data enables us to easily identify vehicles that appear without insurance.

"By using automation alongside ongoing police efforts, we've helped to halve the number of uninsured drivers on UK roads over the past 10 years."

Legislation introduced in 2011 gave the MIB and the DVLA powers to identify and take action against registered keepers of vehicles that appear to be uninsured and not off the road.

Under the scheme, data held by the Motor Insurance Database (MID), central record of all UK motor insurance policies, is systematically compared with DVLA vehicle records to identify drivers appearing to have no insurance.

Thousands of warnings, known as insurance advisory letters, can be issued daily without the need to catch uninsured drivers on the road.

The letters warn recipients to insure their vehicle or if it is "off the road" to make a statutory off road notification (Sorn) to the DVLA.

Those who fail to comply receive a fixed penalty notice and could face court prosecution, a £1,000 fine and their vehicle being seized and crushed.

The MIB is a not-for-profit body thatpicks up the tab when innocent motorists are in collisions with drivers who are uninsured or cannot be traced after a hit-and-run.

This bill is ultimately paid through the insurance premiums of all law-abiding motorists