Met seize £250,000 supercar in crackdown on uninsured vehicles
By Adrian Zorzut, Local Democracy Reporter
A council and the Met have seized a £250,000 supercar in a crackdown on ‘street hawkers’ and uninsured vehicles.
Westminster City council said the Mosler Trenne model was seized for antisocial driving in Parliament Square on July 13.
The car, which has a 190mph top speed, was spotted revving its engine while being filmed by a member of the public. The driver could not provide a driving licence at the roadside, so the vehicle was seized.
Police also confiscated a customised e-scooter. The scooter, which the driver said cost him £15,000 to make, was being ridden without insurance and illegally on a public road.
Both incidents were part of a 24-hour operation in the West End which resulted in 47 vehicles being seized for allegedly having no insurance and 11 arrests for various offences. Cops also handed out 17 fines to cyclists running a red light.
Council officers targeted traders selling unlicensed goods on Westminster Bridge. This included a camera and an iPad from two photographers trying to sell photos and five hot dog sellers and peanut vendors.
Buskers without the correct permits were targeted in Leicester Square and Wardour Street. And while on patrol, officers helped reunite four missing children with their classmates after being separated during a trip to the capital.
Westminster City councillor, and cabinet member for city management, Paul Dimoldenberg, said the operation sent a “strong signal” to dodgy operators trying to trade in the borough.
He said: “People who live in Westminster and who visit every day have a right to walk our streets in safety – knowing they are not likely to be hit by a vehicle with no insurance or buy an unsafe or an illegal product from street traders.
“Carelessly ridden and parked e-scooters are a particular source of complaint to us, and the summer syndrome of supercars thrashing their engines is also a tradition we can do without.”
Met Special Inspector Geoff Tatman said: “The Met has positively and effectively partnered with Westminster Council and other local partners, to deal with offenders and crackdown on illegal activities that concern Londoners the most.”
Pictured top: The Met and Westminster City council confiscated a £250k supercar in Parliament Square on July 13 (Picture: WCC)
