Why would anyone crush a Bentley?

By Ed Davey
BBC News, London

Record numbers of uninsured cars are being taken off London roads and crushed during the recession. But surprisingly, these now include Porsches, Hummers and even a Bentley. Many prestige car drivers assume police only stop tatty old bangers. But as BBC London finds out, they are very wrong...

It looks imposing - but a Hummer is no match for the crusher's jaws

With a terrible clanking and grinding sound the crusher does its work.

Petrol, oil and brake fluid have already been removed - and as a motor pumps hydraulic fluid into the press, more than 150 tons of pressure are applied to the stricken vehicle.

There is no resistance, no straining, no sudden give. The car folds inward as cleanly and smoothly as if it were tin foil.

But this is no ordinary job for the staff at A1 Group, a firm in Wokingham, Berkshire, who crush every car taken off the streets and ordered to be destroyed by the Metropolitan Police.

The vehicle is so hulking that staff had to saw it into parts before it could even enter the crusher.

And they admit to a frisson of reluctance before reducing the beast to a 5ft (1.5m) cube of tangled metal.

Because the victim is a Hummer, beloved of celebrities including Wayne Rooney, some worth up £70,000.

Some bankers lost bonuses in the recession but don't want to give up their Porsche. They intend to drive it uninsured for a couple of months - but they get caught Edmund King, AA President

But A1 Group owner Sally Pike says the gas-guzzling behemoth is not the only prestige vehicle to have felt the crusher's wrath since the recession bit.

"It's not just 20-year-old hatch backs we're crushing now", she said. "Last week we crushed a S-class Mercedes and a 3-series BMW. We have had Porsches and Hummers.

"At first you might be reluctant to crush these cars - but after one or two it feels quite painless."

Ms Pike continued: "The recession has had a big effect. The numbers have gone up a lot - we used to collect 200 cars a month and that's gone up to 1,500."

In the last year, the Metropolitan Police seized 32,000 vehicles from London roads, the vast majority from drivers with no licence or insurance.

Drivers have two weeks to obtain the documents and reclaim their vehicles or they will be permanently confiscated.

A1's car crusher munches its way through 1,500 cars a month

High value cars are supposed to be auctioned off, with the money pumped back into policing.

But in reality, many valuable cars end up getting squashed, as AA president Edmund King told BBC London.

"I have heard of Porsches, Bentleys and Range Rovers being crushed", he said.

If a car has no serial number, is foreign registered or was involved in a sensitive crime there is nothing that can save it from the crusher - regardless of value.

Such cars, often stolen, have no documents and do not officially "exist" - thus cannot be re-entered into the system.

Mr King also dispelled the myth that all uninsured drivers are callow teenagers in rusted 1992 Nissan Micras.

The key message is that we are doing this to protect the public Ch Insp Zander Gibson, Newham Police

He said that since the recession, offenders might even include bankers and stockbrokers looking to put off the £1,500 bill it could cost to insure a car such as Porsche.

"Some bankers lost jobs or bonuses in the recession but they don't want to give up their Porsche", Mr King explained.

"Then they look at their insurance premium which is really high because of the value of their car.

"They don't intend to drive it uninsured forever, just for a couple of months as a stop-gap - but then they get caught."

Posh wheels

Mr King continued: "It seems crazy that you might have a £50,000 car and not insure it.

"Some think the police will only target 19-year-old cars - and because they have posh wheels they will not get stopped. But a lot of uninsured cars are actually caught through technology now."

One man at the sharp end is Ch Insp Zander Gibson of Newham Police in east London. His officers removed 109 unlicensed or uninsured vehicles in June alone - more than any other borough in the city.

He said: "The key message is that we are doing this to protect the public.

"If an uninsured driver banged into me I would have to pay for the damage.

"But high value cars should not be being crushed and I have not heard of it happening."