Dishonest motorists put in £260 million worth of fraudulent insurance claims last year, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI).

Amounting to £5 million a week, the number of fraudulent claims detected by insurance companies has risen by 70 per cent in the last three years.

The ABI claimed that innocent motorists, including male and female drivers, were footing the bill for fraudulent claimants to the tune of £40 a year on average.

Nick Starling, the ABI's director of general insurance and health, said: "This is why insurers are ramping up their crackdown to weed out the cheats."

"Anyone committing insurance fraud is more likely to get caught [and] risks a criminal record," he added.

The ABI represents nearly 400 insurance firms in the UK, which together account for more than 94 per cent of the country's insurance business.

In 2007 the ABI uncovered more than 91,000 fraudulent insurance claims, from motoring to travel insurance.

Women drivers are famously cheaper to insure, with many companies claiming they have fewer accidents or do less costly damage when they do, according to Pink Fridge online, but some women are still making fraudulent claims on their insurance policies.

Find out where foxy lady drivers shop for the best insurance deals for women.

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