Insurance Fraud

Police have charged 40 people in connection with a £5.3m car insurance fraud which centred around Luton.

The alleged "cash for crash" conspirators are suspected of making false insurance claims following staged vehicle collisions.

The charges come after a joint two-year investigation by Bedfordshire Police and the Insurance Fraud Bureau, known as Operation Exhort.

An investigation started in May 2006 and Bedfordshire Police said 40 people have been charged after dawn raids across south Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Berkshire.

Some 26 of the defendants are due to appear at Luton Magistrates' Court on Tuesday and Wednesday on charges including conspiracy to defraud, possession of criminal property, conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, and obtaining, or attempting to obtain, a money transfer by deception.

Another 14 people are expected to appear before Luton magistrates on July 24.

Copyright © PA Business 2008