They are unlikely to go down in history as criminal masterminds.

But a man who arrived to pick up a friend arrested for not having insurance ended up being charged with driving an uninsured car.

The first driver arrived at the capital’s Gayfield Police Station in a blue BMW after officers found his vehicle was uninsured.

But when he asked his friend for a lift, he showed up in a silver Mercedes which was then seized by officers on suspicion of being uninsured. 

Police said they were ‘left in disbelief’.

Both men, aged 19 and 23, were then forced to make their own way home.

Sharing a picture of the two seized cars being loaded onto a recovery truck on social media, Police Scotland Edinburgh said: ‘First rule of being rescued is – make sure your rescuer has insurance. Second rule of being rescued is – you guess it! Both cars seized.’

A Police Scotland spokesman added: ‘On Wednesday, 16 October 2024, two cars were seized outside Gayfield Police Station after the owners were found not to have insurance.

‘Two men, aged 19 and 23 years, have been reported to the Procurator Fiscal for alleged road traffic offences.’

Police Scotland seized 7,195 vehicles within the last year for not having insurance, recent Freedom of Information laws found. This was an increase on the 6,525 cars seized by the force from 2022 to 2023.

Car insurance is a mandatory, legal requirement to drive on UK roads or even to park your vehicle on the street, in your garage or in your driveway.

Police are able to check if your car is insured via the Motor Insurance Database.