Fifty five vehicles were seized by police in Newham on Thursday during a day of action targeted at uninsured drivers.

Officers deployed during the latest phase of the Metropolitan Police’s Operation Cubo also arrested five motorists.

It was launched by commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe eight months ago to target criminals and disrupt their activities by denying them the use of the roads.

A total of 536 uninsured cars were seized and 65 people were detained across London.

Commander Steve Watson, head of Operation Cubo, said: “The tenth Operation Cubo has achieved some outstanding results, with another huge total of vehicle seizures in just one day,

“More importantly it has resulted in a number of arrests for some very serious offences.”

According to the Met, around 80 per cent of uninsured drivers have a criminal record, with many actively using their vehicles during the course of criminal activity.