An MP has stated that the DVLA is finishing up fewer than 8 checks a day on ‘ghost’ plates
Driving authorities should crack down on a “quantity plate wild west”, an MP has stated, after figures confirmed only a fraction of suppliers confronted an audit this 12 months. Sarah Coombes stated the DVLA’s work “doesn’t contact the facet of what’s wanted” to sort out unlawful entrance and rear plates.
The DVLA (Driver and Automobile Licensing Company) has despatched greater than 1,000 warning letters to registered quantity plate suppliers since January, already a five-year excessive, a Press Affiliation freedom of knowledge request discovered.
The company accomplished 2,366 audits within the first 10 months of this 12 months.
However “with over 34,000 registered quantity plate suppliers on its books, the DVLA must get a grip of this quantity plate wild west and put money into extra enforcement, background checks on suppliers, and elevated charges to develop into a provider”, Ms Coombes informed PA.
The Labour MP for West Bromwich stated: “A strong quantity plate system is important to make sure excessive ranges of security on our roads.”
Incorrectly displayed quantity plates can land drivers with a nice of as much as £1,000. A marketing campaign group in Parliament has discovered “ghost plates are more and more getting used intentionally amongst rogue drivers”.
These plates seem regular to the human eye, however plastic movie or raised lettering utilizing gels and plastics could make them unreadable to police cameras – displaying up as white or yellow rectangles or with characters lacking.
“Rogue drivers can exploit weaknesses within the ANPR (automated quantity plate recognition) system with ease, shopping for plates for lower than £10 on-line with no questions requested,” the All-Get together Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Transport Security discovered.
However the DVLA solely has a “smattering of officers travelling the size and breadth of the nation” making an attempt to implement the regulation, based on the group.
The Press Affiliation has discovered the DVLA carried out 2,366 audits within the first 10 months of 2025 – the equal of fewer than eight a day.
On the identical time, the variety of warning letters despatched has jumped from 743 in 2023 and 713 in 2024 to 1,041 in 2025.
“Throughout 2025, the DVLA has supported Buying and selling Requirements and the police within the profitable prosecution of 14 suppliers,” based on the company.
“These included offences of not preserving data and failing to ask for the required documentation.”
A Division for Transport spokesperson stated: “We gained’t tolerate unlawful plates that assist criminals evade detection – promoting or displaying them is already towards the regulation.
“There are strict legal guidelines in place which demand quantity plate suppliers are correctly registered with DVLA, and strong identification requirements for consumers.
“We’re cracking down arduous on rogue suppliers, working with police and Buying and selling Requirements.
“On high of this, there’s a evaluate on the present requirements on quantity plates which goal to ban manufacturing of plates which are particularly designed to evade automated quantity plate recognition cameras.”
The APPG has referred to as for suppliers to face background checks, and for the authorities to “considerably prohibit the variety of licensed sellers through annual charges, common audits and removing of non-compliant sellers”.
The group additionally beneficial the Authorities units out a standardised design for registration plates, together with a ban on 3D and 4D lettering.
