Welcome to our UK news roundup for June.
Carlisle driver gets a fine and a curfew for false number plates
In May's UK number plates news we reported that a 26-year-old driver had been apprehended driving with false number plates in Carlisle. The motorist, Jordan Glyn, escaped a driving ban when he appeared in court to answer the charges brought against him. While the court did have the power to impose a ban, the judge concluded that such a measure would cause exceptional hardship.
The leniency extended to Mr Glyn was due, in part, to the full cooperation he gave to police upon being stopped. Having heard about Mr Glyn's circumstances at the time of the offence, and about his employment, which requires him to travel all over the country, the judge's sentence was that Mr Glyn should pay a fine of £750 and be subject to a curfew.
Isle of Wight police stop Porsche bearing two different number plates
A Porsche has been seized by police on the Isle of Wight after it was noticed that it was displaying front and rear plates that didn't match. The front plate was an 04 number, while the rear plate was described as "an X plate".
The Isle of Wight Police Facebook page stated that the vehicle had been seized. In addition to the number plate offence, the driver was found to have no licence or insurance.
Meanwhile, in Bolton, police seized another vehicle for displaying false number plates. Investigations into the offending vehicle continued, and police confirmed that the car from which the false plates had been copied was safely parked at its home address.
Supplier of bogus number plates goes to prison
While the problem of number plate cloning is difficult to stamp out completely, authorities do enforce the law whenever the opportunity arises. We often report individual cases of drivers being apprehended in cars with cloned number plates, but the biggest difference is made when the police successfully prosecute those actually making and selling the fake plates.
32 year-old Daniel Day was caught by police in Tipton, West Midlands as he tried to hide in a shed. A drone spotted him hiding as several police cars arrived at his address. A search of the premises unearthed number plate-making equipment, cash and, of course, Mr Day himself, who was led away in handcuffs.
Plates manufactured by Mr Day had been used in a number of crimes, including car thefts, burglary and armed robbery. At his trial, Day was found guilty of perverting the course of justice, and sentenced to three years and four months in prison.
Conservative candidate renews the call for e-bikes to display number plates
Ben Mascall, the Tory candidate for Peckham, told a local reporter that he thought there was a strong argument for the measure after he was asked how he would address the problem of e-bikes speeding in Rye Lane and Peckham High Street.
His comments echo sentiments expressed by Transport Select Committee members and Conservative MPs Iain Stewart and Greg Smith in 2023.
Despite recurring calls for it, so far there doesn't seem to be much movement towards actually introducing such a requirement.
Wolverhampton and Birmingham take action against cabbies using anti-ANPR number plates
Police and compliance officers used infra-red cameras to check whether the area's licenced taxis were using so-called ghost plates to evade identification by traffic cameras.
A number of vehicles have been found to be using plates which contravene the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001 by using materials or methods that defeat the recognition capabilities of traffic cameras. Enforcement teams have access to special infrared cameras that show which plates are using camera-defeating methods. A number of drivers have received fines.
Like cloned or false number plates, plates that are not properly readable by speed cameras, bus lane and LEZ enforcement cameras and other ANPR systems are being used to evade tolls, charges and fines, and to enable drivers to drive in road lanes they are not permitted to use. A range of measures, including sprays, lights, altered characters and plates made of non-regulation reflective materials have all been used to try to escape surveillance by cameras.
In January, we reported that a number of taxi drivers in London had been challenged by police because their "4D" number plates were not clearly readable.
You may also like
- UK number plate news: May 2024
- Former police chief wants number plates on bicycles
- More calls for bikes to display number plates
