A warning to all members who own cars with non-standard numberplates, although it is principally relevant to those who live in South Wales and the South West.

The following statement was posted on the Gwent Police website yesterday:

"Gwent Police is running a national misrepresentation of number plates campaign between May 21-26, 2007.

The aim of the campaign is to enforce the road vehicle regulations in regards to the misuse and misrepresentation of number plates and to supply the data gathered to the DVLA to support recommendations for tighter regulation of the manufacture, supply and greater security of number plates in the future.

Officers who come across any number plate that does not comply with the legislation will stop the offending vehicle, take photographs and ask the driver to sign a 'notice of warning'. Persistent offenders will receive a fixed penalty notice or be reported for summons. This information will be passed to the DVLA who can then consider revocation of the number plate.

It is requested that any vehicle owner who is not displaying legal number plates ensure that they rectify the situation immediately or face the possibility of prosecution or in the case of 'cherised transfers' the possibility that DVLA will withdraw the right to the number."

I assume this applies to all types of plates including the "Dubmeister" German style pressed steel plates that are verypopular. I also assume that Gwent Police are just the first of many more forces undertaking a campaign of this type.

I did hear of a story where a driver in the Gwent valleys was stopped because the badge on the side of the numberplate was not approved by the DVLA. I was tempted to buy a set of new plates with vRS logos on the side for my new Octavia, but maybe i'll hold back for a while! :cop1:

Thames Valley police did (does?) the same a couple of weeks back.

Hmm. They should clamp down, on all the car's that have stupid bodykits so there numberplates don't fit on anymore. Therefore stuck in the window.

Stuck in the windows is not illegal though, as long as it can be read from the front/rear and is the correct font it matters not where the plate is.

Good idea on cracking down though, some of the plates I see round me bare little resemblence to the correct plate at all.

The worse ones are the motorbikes those ridiculously small plates. :thumbdwn:

Just take photos of the numberplate? They can be seized entirely, leaving you to either drive off with no plates, or leave your car where it is, with no plates!

I don't think there is any major problem in the Gwent area with numberplates, but I hope this campaign will do something about the plates found on some motorcycles. Im sure if they spent next Saturday up in Abergavenny (a local weekend motorcycle meeting place) they'd have more plates to deal with than notices of warning!

I have recently seen a lot more Jap style square plates on cars that are not imports. Maybe i'm missing the point, but when has a bodykitted Corsa/Fiesta/Clio/Punto every been from the land of the rising sun?

Stuck in the windows is not illegal though, as long as it can be read from the front/rear and is the correct font it matters not where the plate is.

Good idea on cracking down though, some of the plates I see round me bare little resemblence to the correct plate at all.

Whether it's legal or illegal. I've heard of many cases where people have been given 3 points and a fine. On the spot.

Appealing doesn't get anywhere....

OH MY GOD!

Gwent Police doing *something*!