The government has been urged to crack down on illegal number plates, following figures indicating that there were 21,683 reported incidents in 2024 involving illegal or non-compliant number plates following a Freedom of Information request by car insurance comparison site Quotezone. This includes ‘ghost plates’, which use reflective coatings to evade detection by speed and ANPR cameras.

The number of offences has triggered renewed calls for stricter regulation and enforcement. The use of non-standard characters, incorrect fonts, spacing, or sizing is considered an illegal number plate modification. Drivers caught with illegal number plates can be fined up to £1,000. The data shows that by number, the Metropolitan Police recorded the most offences (6,158).

In terms of the number of non-compliant number plate offences per population, Humberside led the way with 122 incidents per 100,000 people. The data also highlights several other hotspots. Norfolk reported 926 offences, that’s 99 per 100,000 people, followed by Greater Manchester with 2,791 offences, 95 per 100,000 people. However, motorists in Northumbria were the most likely to comply with number plate laws, with 60 offences recorded last year, just 4 per 100,000 people. Warwickshire also saw relatively few offences (65), while Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire each reporting just 90 offences in total across The year. Some Police Forces confirmed they are taking action, including Nottinghamshire who have recently equipped their Roads Policing Unit with equipment to assist in identifying ghost plates.

Taken from Graham Feest Newsletter