Four arrested in Liverpool in cash for crash inquiry

Four men believed to part of a suspected "crash for cash" scam have been arrested in Liverpool.

Police were alerted by insurers when up to 30 people claimed to have been hurt on a bus booked from a Bootle pub to the Belle Vue dog track in Manchester.

The bus was on the M57 when passengers told the driver to pull over as they had been struck by a car.

The driver had not felt any impact, but the passengers insisted on turning back as they felt too unwell to travel.

There was only superficial damage to both vehicles after the incident, which took place in December.

Police said the bus returned to the pub but before leaving, all the group confirmed to the driver that they had been injured and gave him their details.

All four men were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit fraud and questioned at a Liverpool police station.

Two of them were held early on Wednesday and are still being questioned by police.

The other two were detained last month and released on bail, the City of London Police's Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED) said.