TWO million warning letters have been sent to motorists since rule changes came into force meaning that vehicles have to be insured unless they are formally declared as being off the road.

The Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB) said it sends out 60,000 letters a month to people whose vehicle is not recorded on the Motor Insurance Database, to alert them about the consequences of not insuring their vehicle or declaring it off road.

Recipients who fail to comply face a £100 fixed penalty, having their vehicle clamped, seized or destroyed or a court prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000.

The two millionth warning letter was issued earlier this month. One third of people who have received such correspondence in the last three years have ended up receiving a fixed penalty.

While the majority of people take action to comply with the legal requirements after receiving a letter, as many as 6,000 people are prosecuted each month.

Changes were introduced in 2011 which require the registered keeper of a vehicle to have insurance at all times, unless they have declared the vehicle off the road with a statutory off road notification (Sorn).

Previously, someone who owned a vehicle but did not use it could keep it off the road without insurance, but they did not have to formally declare they were doing this.