FIVE Keighley people are due to stand trial in August accused of trying to claim nearly £170,000 by committing 'crash for cash' insurance fraud.

Four men and a woman, all of Keighley, along with a Nelson man, appeared for a preliminary hearing at Bradford Crown Court today as a result of an investigation by the City of London Police's Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department.

All six had previously appeared before magistrates charged with conspiracy to commit fraud by representation, and conspiracy to acquire criminal property.

The accused are Mohammed Farooq, 27, of Spencer Street, Keighley; Israr Hussain, 31, also of Spencer Street; Fozia Kausar, 31, of Red Holt Crescent, Keighley; Shazad Shad, 30, of Edensor Road, Keighley; Muhammad Taj, 41, of Victoria Avenue, Lawkholme, Keighley, and Ansar Mahmood, 31, of Manchester Road, Nelson.

Shad also faces a charge of possessing a weapon used for the discharge of a noxious liquid or gas, namely CS spray.

Mahmood was remanded in custody today, with the other five defendants granted unconditional bail by the Recorder of Bradford, Judge Roger Thomas, ahead of a plea and case management hearing on June 12.

The six defendants are accused of conspiring to commit fraud by making a series of false representations to insurance companies and law firms, saying they were genuine policy holders to make personal injury claims to the value of £167,246.

They are also accused of conspiring to become involved in an arrangement where they knew or suspected the acquisition, retention, use, or control of criminal property, namely £37,059.

The charges related to the period between January 7, 2011, and February 28, 2014.

The trial, provisionally scheduled to last for eight weeks, is set to begin on August 3.