Overview
- The Department for Transport has launched a consultation, open until March 31, on penalties for illegal plates, including licence points and possible vehicle seizure.
- Plans under review would give the DVLA stronger inspection powers over authorised number plate suppliers to shut out unscrupulous operators.
- Ministers intend to fund research and explore using artificial intelligence alongside ANPR to spot plates that evade infrared-based cameras.
- Law enforcement figures and MPs, including West Midlands PCC Simon Foster and Sarah Coombes, have welcomed the proposed crackdown as a road safety measure.
- The move follows reporting that a journalist obtained such plates from a DVLA‑registered dealer without checks and research indicating roughly one in 15 vehicles may carry fraudulent plates.