ok this is what happened to me on a fleeting visit to uk.
with new girlfriend in her car and i'm driving cos she's knackered get stopped by police because car is only insured for a woman and i'm not one. i explain to mr plod that my spanish insurence proberbly covers me but he's not interested so as i can't give him a place where i actually live (happens when inbetween girlfriends) he is not happy and my driving licence address is from a house i sold 3 years ago dosen't do anything to appease him. luckilly i have my passport on me and although the photo's a crap one he beleives i'm not a terrorist.
so he gives me a bit of paper to produce my insurence docs which are in spain. anyway so far i'm ok with being stopped and questioned no probs these guys have a job to do. now he tells me he wants to impound the car knowing i have a flight early the next day. the passenger is fully legal to drive the car fortunatly she has all her docs on her but he still wants to impound the car. so i ask him what i'm supposed to do and how do i get it back. take into account this guy has already seen the legal docs for the car he wants to drop us off at a motorway service station where i can then get a taxi to the nearest police station produce the same documents hes just looked at. then i have to get a taxi to the impound to get the car released. all this will cost me £105 to have the car realeased he then comes up with the idea if having a friendly word with the tow truck driver and i might be able to go with the car another £20 seems to be a friendly word.
so 2 hours and minus £125 i'm continuing my journey.
i now have nill respect for the police.
i can understand him stopping me and questioning me but impounding the car when its obvious to anybody with half a brain that its legal is beyond me.