Bolton still one of most expensive places in UK to insure a car

The town was named as the seventh most costly place to insure a car, behind such places as London, Ilford, Manchester and Oldham.

Drivers are paying £764.53 on average annually — £500 more than residents in the Isle of Man who pay the lowest.

Bolton residents have been faced with costly insurance premiums for years due to the borough being one of the worst hotspots in England for “crash for cash” frauds.

The scams involve criminals deliberately causing crashes and making fraudulent compensation claims.

Janet Connor, from AA Insurance, said that as well as taking the postcode into account when calculating premiums, the experience and age of the driver, the car model and where the car is kept are among the other factors considered.

Ms Connor said: “The premium reflects the likelihood of a claim being made and, in some urban areas, there is much greater risk of a collision taking place, or of car crimes such as theft of or from a vehicle, uninsured driving or attempts at cash for crash fraud.

“Sadly, the criminality of some people has a detrimental effect on the premiums paid by honest motorists in such places.

“But over the past year premiums have, on average, fallen in most areas of the UK and, encouragingly, some of the biggest falls have been in postcode areas that traditionally have paid the highest premiums.”

She said she hopes measures being introduced by the Ministry of Justice to curb fraudulent injury claims, and continued work by the Motor Insurers' Bureau and the police to reduce the number of uninsured drivers, will help to ensure premiums are affordable.

Last year, The Insurance Fraud Bureau and Crimestoppers launched a campaign to stamp out crash for cash scams.

Bolton was named behind Bradford and Birmingham in a top 10 list for the crimes. Junction 4 of the M61, near Farnworth, has also previously featured near the top of a UK shame list for places where the most bogus crash claims are made.