A British man who charged people to crash their cars so they could claim on insurance has been jailed for four-and-a-half years.

Mohammed Patel cost the insurance industry around £1.6 million ($2.87 million) after staging 100 car crashes over three years by slamming on his brakes so drivers behind him would run into the back of his car.

His clients would then demand compensation from the victim’s insurer for personal injury, legal fees and courtesy cars.

The scam was revealed when nearby office workers became suspicious about a number of crashes involving the same person and alerted the victims. Insurer Axa then investigated and contacted police.

Another 24 people are due to be sentenced for their role in the scam.