Police seized 31 cars and made several arrests on the M1 in a crack-down on uninsured drivers this week.

Police from both the Met and Herts set up vans between junction one of the motorway, in Brent Cross and junction five, near Watford, on Thursday.

They used automatic number plate reading technology to identify the cars that were uninsured, which were taken to a service station where more checks were carried out.

Six people were arrested for offences ranging from assault on police to failing to stop. Thirteen people also had defects on their vehicles and were issued with an order to have them fixed.

Inspector Paul Cleevely, of the Met's Traffic Operational Command unit, led the operation.

He said: "Uninsured drivers are danger to all road users. Seizing people's vehicles and taking away them removes this danger and acts as a deterrent to anyone planning to chance their arm by not paying their insurance.

"These drivers face the inconvenience of picking their vehicle up from the pound, not to mention the storage cost and fine. If they don't retrieve their vehicle, it will be crushed or sold on."

Hertfordshire Constabulary Inspector Donna Pierce added: "This is not just about vehicle offences - the use of automatic number plate recognition technology enables us to target criminals travelling through Hertfordshire, and we will continue to work to deny criminals the use of the county's roads."

The drivers of the 31 cars seized face a six-point penalty on their licence, a £120 fine and will now have to pay to recover their vehicles.