A SUSPECT from East Lancashire has been quizzed by City of London Police over a wide-ranging insurance fraud inquiry.

‘Opportunistic’ scammers have been detained across the county as part of a £260,000 operation by their insurance fraud enforcement department.

The investigation has centred on alleged bogus ‘slip and trip’ claims, involving some of the insurance industry’s leading names.

Police have confirmed that one of the raids, one of 24 nationwide, was conducted at an unnamed address in Nelson.

A City of London Police spokesman confirmed that the man, who has not been named, had denied the offence and had been released under investigation.

Investigators also conducted similar swoops on homes in Manchester, Preston and Rochdale.

Other enquiries lead them to suspects in London and Yorkshire. Eight people were cautioned and another 11 were also released under investigation.

Det Ch Insp Craig Mullish, the acting head of the police fraud enforcement department, said: “Opportunistic fraud is different to other types of insurance fraud, such as ‘crash for cash’ and ghost-broking.

“Often the claim made by the fraudster isn’t premediated and hasn’t involved a high amount of planning.

“They see a chance to make a financial gain and go through with it, completely underestimating the severity of their dishonest actions and the impact it has on the cost of insurance premiums, which become higher for everyone.”

The total estimated value of the claims was £261,540.