Figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) have revealed insurers uncovered 24,000 fraudulent claims last year, worth £260m.

The number of dishonest motor claims detected has risen by 70% over the last three years and amounted to an average of £5m per week last year, according to the ABI.

Insurance cheats who have been caught out include the owner of a Rolls Royce who claimed £10,000 for the alleged theft of the front grill, hubcaps, steering wheel, seats and bonnet mascot. However, the items were later found in his home by the police after he removed them himself. Another car owner said his vehicle had been stolen when he actually pushed it off a cliff. He planned to use the insurance payout to meet his Hire Purchase payments.

Nick Starling, the ABI’s director of general insurance and health, said: “Insurance fraud is not a victimless crime. Honest motorists pay through higher insurance premiums – an extra £40 a year on average. This is why insurers are ramping up their crackdown to weed out the cheats. Anyone committing insurance fraud is more likely to get caught, risks a criminal record, and will find future insurance and credit harder to obtain and more expensive.”