A Bradford MP has called for crisis talks on soaring car insurance in the area after a 17-year-old was quoted more than £26,000 for motor cover.

Liberal Democrat MP for Bradford East David Ward said the problem in parts of the area was “becoming ridiculous”.

Bradford resident Dennis Nunn tried to find cover for his son's 1.1 litre Citroen Saxo online, but found the cheapest quote was £9000 and the highest was more than £26,000, according to the Telegraph & Argus.

Nunn lives in the BD2 area of Bradford, which has almost twice the number of uninsured drivers compared to the national average.

Ward said: “We have people who haven’t made a claim for 30 years being refused insurance, young drivers are being quoted premiums of more than £20,000 for their first car and many responsible drivers have seen their premiums go through the roof just because of their post code.

“There is clearly a problem with the number of uninsured drivers on the road in Bradford and this is definitely pushing up premiums.

The area also suffered from soaring personal injury claims, fuelled by referral fees, Ward said. He added that banning referral fees should be considered.

“I am calling a summit in Bradford in the next month to get to the bottom of this problem and to look at the possible solutions," he said. "This will include people from the insurance industry, the police and the driving public.”

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) said it would welcome talks to help Bradford residents find the best motor insurance deal.

An ABI spokesman said: “Uninsured drivers are a menace on our roads. Not only do they put lives at risk, but the costs of accidents they are involved in also push up the cost of insurance for law-abiding motorists.

“But uninsured driving is not the only reason for the general rise in the cost of motor insurance. The very high costs of settling personal injury claims and the rise in fraudulent and exaggerated claims means that for every £1 motor insurers receive in premiums they pay out £1.26 in claims and expenses."

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