86 charged in ‘crash for cash’ probe by Gwent Police

86 people have been charged for their part in an alleged crash-for-cash insurance scam in Caerphilly county.

Following a two-year investigation into alleged fraudulent activity relating to a garage in Pengam, Blackwood, which has operated under the names Easifix and St. David's Crash Repair, the people have been accused of fraud against insurance firms, conspiracy to steal vehicles and money laundering, according to Gwent Police.

Those charged range in age from 24 to 71, with most from the Gwent valleys, 13 from Cardiff and three from Pontypridd.

Detective Sergeant Andy Cullen told the BBC that a team of officers and detectives had been investigating the sophisticated crash-for-cash scheme alongside the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) for more than two years,

The IFB said this was one of the largest investigations it had held to date into motor insurance fraud and that the full monetary value was still being assessed.

Mark Dugdale