A CAR has been seized by police after it was spotted being driven around St Helens with suspected cloned number plates.

Traffic officers say the Audi was seen in St Helens and Old Swan, Liverpool area on Monday and it was "suspected to be cloned".

Officers on patrol later found the car parked up in Old Swan and their earlier suspicions were confirmed.

The vehicle also had no insurance and was seized by Merseyside Police.

What is car cloning?

According to the RAC, car cloning, or vehicle identify theft, happens when a "car’s identity is stolen or copied to commit crime".

In a statement, the RAC website says: "There are no official figures for car cloning in the UK (at least none that are publicly available) but it is a very real problem that could not only leave you thousands of pounds out of pocket when buying or selling a car, but also see you wrongly accused of traffic offences and serious crimes."

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