More than 600 insurance policies are now in the process of being cancelled under the Garda operation, codenamed PUCA.

The government will work with gardaí and the insurance industry to crack down on ghost brokers who have duped thousands of motorists and left up to 10,000 people uninsured on the roads.

A body representing Ireland’s insurance brokers has hit back at claims the profession is involved in anti-competitive practices, after the Government announced an investigation into the public liability insurance market.

The Black Friday and the Cyber Monday online spending splurge is bad for retailers and possibly poor value for shoppers too, Moody’s Investors Service has warned.