DVLA action ‘doesn’t touch side of what’s needed’ for number plate crackdown

Driving authorities must crack down on a “number plate wild west”, an MP has said, after figures showed just a fraction of suppliers faced an audit this year.

Sarah Coombes said the DVLA’s work “doesn’t touch the side of what’s needed” to tackle illegal front and rear plates.

The DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) has sent more than 1,000 warning letters to registered number plate suppliers since January, already a five-year high, a Press Association freedom of information request found.

The agency completed 2,366 audits in the first 10 months of this year.

But “with over 34,000 registered number plate suppliers on its books, the DVLA needs to get a grip of this number plate wild west and invest in more enforcement, background checks on suppliers, and increased fees to become a supplier”, Ms Coombes told PA.

The Labour MP for West Bromwich said: “A robust number plate system is essential to ensure high levels of safety on our roads.”

Incorrectly displayed number plates can land drivers with a fine of up to £1,000.

A campaign group in Parliament has found “ghost plates are increasingly being used deliberately among rogue drivers”.

These plates appear normal to the human eye, but plastic film or raised lettering using gels and plastics can make them unreadable to police cameras – showing up as white or yellow rectangles or with characters missing.

“Rogue drivers can exploit weaknesses in the ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) system with ease, buying plates for less than £10 online with no questions asked,” the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Transport Safety found.

But the DVLA only has a “smattering of officers travelling the length and breadth of the country” trying to enforce the law, according to the group.

The Press Association has found the DVLA carried out 2,366 audits in the first 10 months of 2025 – the equivalent of fewer than eight a day.

At the same time, the number of warning letters sent has jumped from 743 in 2023 and 713 in 2024 to 1,041 in 2025.

“During 2025, the DVLA has supported Trading Standards and the police in the successful prosecution of 14 suppliers,” according to the agency.

“These included offences of not keeping records and failing to ask for the required documentation.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We won’t tolerate illegal plates that help criminals evade detection – selling or displaying them is already against the law.

“There are strict laws in place which demand number plate suppliers are properly registered with DVLA, and robust identification standards for buyers.

“We’re cracking down hard on rogue suppliers, working with police and Trading Standards.

“On top of this, there is a review on the current standards on number plates which aim to ban production of plates that are specifically designed to evade automatic number plate recognition cameras.”

The APPG has called for suppliers to face background checks, and for the authorities to “significantly restrict the number of licensed sellers via annual fees, regular audits and removal of non-compliant sellers”.

The group also recommended the Government sets out a standardised design for registration plates, including a ban on 3D and 4D lettering.