Police have impounded a Lamborghini potentially worth more than £200,000 following complaints about speeding and dangerous driving.
Essex Police received several calls on Saturday afternoon reporting that a Lamborghini Huracan was being driven in Southend at speeds believed to be more than double the legal limit.
Officers later seized the high-performance supercar using strengthened powers aimed at tackling dangerous and antisocial driving.
‘Antisocial driving can pose a danger to other people using the road and cause misery to residents,’ a force spokesman said.
‘The safety of our communities will always be our priority and we’ll take action against those who risk the safety of others.’
According to Autotrader, a Lamborghini Huracan can have an on-the-road recommended retail price of £238,195, depending on the model.
The car was taken under Section 59 of the Police Reform Act, powers that were expanded earlier this year to let police seize vehicles immediately if they are being used in a way that causes alarm, distress or annoyance to the public.
Motorists risk having their vehicles confiscated if they drive recklessly, including wheelspinning, performing burnouts, drifting in public areas, racing through residential streets or repeatedly revving engines.
Police have seized a Lamborghini that could be worth more than £200,000 after reports of speeding and dangerous driving
Before the changes, drivers could only have their car seized if they were involved in another antisocial driving incident within the past 12 months.
Officers can still choose to give a warning at their discretion.
On Wednesday, police seized five Lamborghinis and a Mercedes G-Wagon as they stopped a fleet of supercars using a motorway as a racetrack.
The high-powered vehicles drove at high speed, weaved across lanes, spun their wheels and slowed down to as little as 17mph.
Responders from the Transport Policing and Crime Command located the convoy on the M62, and were able to stop two Lamborghinis as they exited the motorway.
The rest of the vehicles were stopped in Rochdale.
At least three of the vehicles appear to be a Lamborghini SVJ, which sold from £360,000 on its release – but are now worth closer to £800,000.
The drivers are being prosecuted for ‘driving without due consideration for other road users’, Greater Manchester Police said in a statement.
Police seized five Lamborghinis and a Mercedes G-Wagon on Wedneday as they stopped a fleet of supercars using a motorway as a racetrack
Officers from Greater Manchester Police were alerted to reports of dangerous driving on the M66 – they seized two Lamborghinis on the M62 and the rest in Rochdale
At least three of the vehicles appear to be a Lamborghini SVJ, which sold from £360,000 on its release – but are now worth closer to £800,000
Chief Inspector Danny Kabal, from GMP’s Transport Policing and Crime command said at the time: ‘We take road safety very serious in GMP, and we will not tolerate careless, inconsiderate, anti-social or dangerous driving on our roads.
‘Recent changes to Section 59 of the Police Reform Act now enables us to seize vehicles without having to issue a warning first. As we intensify our road safety operations and enforcement campaigns, we will use this legislative change as part of our daily business.
‘People who think it is acceptable to use our roads as a racetrack, need to pay attention to this result and take it as a warning – they will have their vehicles seized and they will be prosecuted. Where proportionate to do so, they will also be arrested.
‘I would like to thank the members of the public who reported this matter to us and apologise to them for any inconvenience caused when we temporarily shut the road to deal with the offenders.
‘If anyone has any footage of this incident, including dashcam or CCTV, please get in touch with us via 101 or our website. I would also urge anyone who witnesses such poor driving or riding on our roads to report it to us.’
