AN EAST Lancashire district has been named as a national “crash for cash” hotspot.

The BB9 postcode, which covers Nelson, Brierfield and Barrowford, has been ranked as 29th out of 30.

Crash-for-cash scams are where fraudsters stage an accident by deliberately damaging a vehicle or causing a collision on the road and then filing insurance claims.

New data from the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) shows that the majority of the top 30 postcode districts are located in the Midlands or the north of England.

Back in 2010, East Lancashire had three of the top four worst crash-for-cash spots in the country.

Postcode districts in the Manchester postal area now also feature prominently on the list, with five postcodes in the top 30. Surrounding area Oldham also features twice, as well as Bolton postcode BL3 being included on the list.

Ben Fletcher, director of the IFB, said: “These scams may seem to some to be a harmless way to beat the system and get an easy payout with minimal risk.

“These hotspots may be the worst affected areas for these types of scams, but crash-for-cash collisions can happen anywhere, so it’s imperative that road users are aware of them, exercise appropriate caution and if they believe they’ve been a victim, report it as soon as they can.”