The loophole means that as many as 1.7 million used cars with a fraudulent mileage reading could be on the UK’s roads, according to vehicle history check expert HPI, which has welcomed the government announcement.

HPI added that the safety ramifications of vehicle clocking are significant. Around 10% of all the modules in a modern car, such as the airbag, ABS and ignition, feed information into the central ECU system, and each time an event occurs – such as a faulty airbag warning – a ‘snapshot’ of the vehicle’s mileage will be recorded on these modules. Therefore, unless a vehicle’s mileage is wound back by a particularly ‘diligent’ and skilled clocker who alters the mileage readings on all potentially affected modules in addition to the odometer, these will be out of sync, leading to issues with safety warnings – and potentially legal cases in the event of an accident.

Neil Hodson, deputy managing director for cap hpi, said: “News that Business Minister Anna Soubry is going to take a stand against mileage correction firms illustrates just how serious a problem clocking continues to be to this day and we are delighted that the spotlight is falling on these fraudsters again. 

“We want to remind both used car buyers and the legislators that enable ‘Mileage Correction Firms’ to continue, that it isn’t just a ‘financial fraud’ issue – as important as that is – but more vitally a question of safety, which no-one can afford to ignore.”