New research has uncovered the UK’s illegal vehicle modification hotspots, based on the number of offences reported in the last year.

And Lancashire is sitting in the top 20 at 12th place.

Through Freedom of Information requests to various police forces, the research, carried out by comparethemarket.com reveals the most common illegal modifications, as well as the places in the UK with the most illegal modification offenders.

The research found that Greater Manchester had the 9th most illegal vehicle modifications, Lancashire 12th, Cheshire 13th and Cumbria 16th.

Gloucestershire topped the table in first place.

In Lancashire, possessing an illegal licence plate was by far the most common offence, with 519 recorded.

The most common unlawful vehicle modifications are as follows:

From left to right the list reads: rank; modification; total offences; total offences (%).

  1. Altered licence plates; 13,720; 56%
  2. Altered lights; 5,723; 23%
  3. Illegally tinted windows; 4,183; 17%
  4. Altered exhausts; 776; 3%

Lancashire Telegraph:

The top ten illegal modifications hotspots can be found below:

The list reads, from left to right: rank; locations; total offences; total offences (per million people).

  1. Gloucestershire; 925 ;1,452
  2. Norfolk; 1,136; 1,251
  3. Northern Ireland; 2,232; 1,179
  4. Suffolk; 873; 1,147
  5. London; 9,373; 1,047
  6. Surrey; 930; 777
  7. Northamptonshire; 501; 665
  8. Dyfed-Powys; 320; 616
  9. Greater Manchester; 1,518; 535
  10. Leicestershire; 494; 449
  11. South Yorkshire; 1,409,000; 389
  12. Lancashire; 1,508,900; 385

 

To view the research in full, click here.

Head of motor insurance at comparethemarket.com, Dan Hutson, said: “Modifications tend to fall into two categories: performance or cosmetic, but any modification, no matter how minor, should be reported to your car insurance provider.

“Lawful modifications can increase car insurance premiums, so it’s best to check with your provider before making any changes and there are some providers who specialise in modified cars.

"Modifications which are against the law are likely to invalidate any type of car insurance policy, so do your research beforehand.”