Chris Thompson   Chris Thompson on the internet

Centenary Way in Manchester has apparently been named the UK hotspot for ‘crash for cash’ accidents. The idea is, I suppose, to go there especially with the intention to crash: these car insurance fraudsters deliberately stage accidents to claim compensation.

It sounds a strange idea to me, but there you go. It obviously works for them: Direct Line estimates that such scams total £350 million each year — which, when you think about it, is quite a shocking amount. Of course, I knew car insurance fraud was quite prevalent these days, but I didn’t know it was to the tune of so much money.

The company goes on to say that it compiled its rankings through analysis of insurance data, and with information from “coordinated nationwide investigations” by the car insurance industry.

The north of England seems to dominate the list, with junctions in Burnley and Stockport making up the top five, and another location in Lancashire at number nine.

I suppose it all adds to the difficulty of other people to make car accident claims for compensation — as well as how expensive it is for young drivers to get insured on their cars. When my younger brother was trying to insure his first car the other month, some of the sums he was being quoted were ludicrous.

But then, however unfair it seems, I suppose the amount of young drivers who crash every year force them into raising their prices.