More cars were seized by police from illegal drivers this year in Lambeth than in any other London borough.

Statistics show 649 cars were taken from drivers with no insurance or licence in the first six months of the year.

The figure is significantly higher than the 423 cars taken off the borough’s roads in the whole of 2008.

The increase is due to new powers handed to police in January which gave all uniformed officers the power to immediately seize any vehicles being driven either with no insurance, or where the driver is unlicensed.

London Assembly Green Party member, Jenny Jones, said Operation Reclaim acted as a deterrent to dangerous motorists breaking the law.

She said: “Illegal drivers force legal drivers to pay higher insurance premiums, while cyclists and pedestrians are often the victims of hit and run driving – which is often linked to motorists not having insurance, or a proper licence.”

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