Latest news with #ghostplates
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Ministers urged to take action over ghost number plates
Ministers are being pressured to take urgent action over illegal so-called ghost number plates. The plates have a reflective coating, which prevents them from being identified by police cameras. The British Number Plate Manufacturers Association (BNMA), which represents companies producing the vast majority of plates in the UK, wants tougher regulation of the sector. In a letter to the Government, it claimed that a number of suppliers that have not registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) are not following its requirements. It warned that this has led to a rise in ghost plates and cloning, which is when a plate displays the same registration as another vehicle. BNMA chairman Michael Flanagan said: 'Far from being the tightly regulated industry it should be, number plates are increasingly being sold by unscrupulous below-the-radar suppliers using non-compliant, untraceable materials. 'They rarely ask for the documentation that the DVLA require. 'This is a criminal offence and enables serious criminals and terrorists to move around the roads undetected. 'Motorists deserve to know they are buying a legal, compliant number plate from a legitimate supplier. 'Now is the time for Government to tighten the regulations.' Sarah Coombes, Labour MP for West Bromwich, wants the punishment for being caught with a ghost plate to be raised from a £100 fine and no penalty points to a fine of at least £1,000 and six penalty points. She said: 'Dodgy number plates are no longer a fringe issue. They're everywhere and they're undermining the rule of law on our roads. 'I know this Government is committed to making our roads safer for everyone. Tightening the law on number plates will be a huge step in the right direction.' Ms Coombes is hosting a roundtable event in Parliament on Tuesday with industry experts, the DVLA and police forces to discuss ghost plates. A DVLA spokesperson said: 'DVLA is committed to ensuring all number plates are displayed correctly and legally. We work with the police and Trading Standards to take action against suppliers who do not comply with the law. 'A legitimate supplier will always ask to see ID and entitlement documents before selling a number plate. Where this doesn't happen, members of the public can report this directly to their local Trading Standards.'
The Sun
16-05-2025
- The Sun
Crooks using ‘ghost plates' to dodge speed cameras face government crackdown
CROOKS using illegal 'ghost plates' to dodge speed cameras and escape police could finally face tougher punishments, ministers have said. The sham plates, which make cars invisible to number plate recognition systems, are being used by drug dealers, fraudsters and boy racers to cause carnage on our roads. 1 Labour MP Sarah Coombes told the Commons she was warned by a senior cop that the problem is now 'frightening' - with ghost plates spotted 'on every street, in every town'. She blasted the lack of action and called for £1,000 fines and six penalty points to stop the lawless 'number plate Wild West'. The current punishment is just a £100 slap on the wrist - less than a speeding ticket. Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood admitted 'more needs to be done' and said tougher penalties will be looked at in a new road safety crackdown. She also said the DVLA is working with police chiefs and the Home Office to target rogue sellers and tighten enforcement. Campaigners warn kits to make ghost plates can be bought online for as little as £40 – with sites openly selling the gear. Sellers often get around the rules by branding them 'show plates', while Instagram and TikTok are flooded with videos promoting them to wannabe racers.
The Sun
13-05-2025
- The Sun
Urgent warning to drivers using ‘ghost plates' to dodge speed cameras with £100 fine to be enforced
DRIVERS are being warned they could face £100 fines as councils crack down on so-called 'ghost plates'—illegal number plates intended to evade speed and bus lane cameras. These plates often use reflective or obscuring materials to avoid detection by traffic enforcement systems. In Wandsworth, council chiefs are taking action to shut down the loophole. These banned plates, often referred to as 3D or 4D plates, reflect camera flashes and can render a vehicle invisible to enforcement systems. Council bosses have issued a stark warning about rogue motorists using ' ghost plates ' to avoid detection. These plates, which are not legal for road use, are being used by some drivers to beat traffic rules and avoid fines. Authorities are now ramping up efforts to stop them. Two years ago, the head of the national Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system revealed that a shocking number of drivers – roughly one in 15 – could easily outsmart the system. On leaving his post, Professor Fraser Sampson wrote to Transport Secretary Mark Harper expressing his frustration over the lack of government action on the issue. To combat the problem, new cameras capable of spotting these 'stealth' number plates have been rolled out in some areas. In Wolverhampton, local enforcement officers were equipped with upgraded technology during a strict clampdown last year. Drivers caught using ghost plates can expect to be hit with a £100 fine. In his letter to Mark Harper, Prof Sampson detailed how motorists were getting around the law using reflective materials, cloned plates, and other deceptive tools to avoid penalties for speeding, low-emission zone breaches, or bus lane violations. According to Prof Sampson, the ANPR system has a 97 per cent success rate in reading plates but still produces 2.4 million incorrect readings daily. That margin of error could mean innocent drivers end up being wrongly fined. Prof Sampson has raised major concerns about the vulnerability of the system, which still depends heavily on readable number plates despite advances in technology. He said: "For all its technological advancement and operational indispensability, the ANPR system still relies ultimately on a piece of plastic affixed to either end of a vehicle. "Served by a wholly unregulated market, what my predecessor termed the humble number plate represents a single and readily assailable point of failure with the ANPR network being easily defeated by the manufacture and sale of stealth plates, cloned registration marks and other rudimentary obscurant tactics." He added: "The result is that the ability to frustrate the ANPR system remains staggeringly simple at a time when proper reliance on it for key public services such as policing, law enforcement and traffic management is increasing daily." What to do if you think you're being scammed The DVLA recommends you do the following: Forward suspicious emails to report@ and The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) will investigate it. Forward suspicious text messages to 7726 as this will flag the potential scam to your phone provider. Report scam or misleading adverts to the Advertising Standards Authority. You can report adverts found online, including in search engines, websites or on social media. You can also report scam or misleading adverts to Google or Bing if you found them in search results Contact Action Fraud if you think you've lost money or been hacked because of an online scam or fraud and you're in England or Wales. If you're in Scotland and you've lost money because of an online scam or fraud, report the crime to Police Scotland. 2
