In February 2025, Regtransfers commented on the muddled media coverage of the so-called 'ghost plates' issue. This vague, clickbait term (which has no clear definition) is one of the media's favourite catch-all terms for vehicle number plates that are made or modified to prevent them being read by cameras. The 'ghost plate' label may be silly and confusing, but the problem itself is real.
The inquiry
The All Party Parliamentary Group for Transport Safety (APPGTS) has opened an inquiry into UK vehicle number plates in response to growing concern amongst police, motoring experts and members of parliament over the proliferation of illegal plates.
The inquiry has come about largely due to efforts by West Bromwich's Labour MP Sarah Coombes. Ms Coombes introduced a Ten Minute Rule Bill in Parliament on the subject of illegal number plates. The bill was co-sponsored by Labour MP Paul Waugh. Motoring experts and organisations have supported calls for an inquiry leading to more effective enforcement action.
The APPG inquiry aims to:
- Provide a comprehensive assessment of the current registration plates ecosystem in the UK
- Offer evidence-based recommendations for reform of the system to enhance road safety
- Facilitate informed discussions among policymakers, industry experts, trading standards, the police, and the public about the impact of non-compliant number plates on road safety
- Contribute to the development of a more robust regulatory and enforcement system to tackle the illegal use of non-compliant number plates and increase road safety
It will examine the UK’s vehicle registration plate system, in order to build a picture of its shortcomings and how they may be exploited by criminals.
The window for submitting evidence closed on 24th October 2025. The next steps will include an evidence session in Parliament, and analysis of existing material on the subject.
The problem
Much of the concern that brought about the enquiry has been over plates that employ various means to avoid identification by ANPR systems, and to render characters on the plates unreadable by CCTV and speed cameras. The methods used to achieve this range from physically masking plates by obscuring characters with leaves (real or fake) and mud to the use of special paints and sprays that alter the reflective properties of number plates, making characters invisible to cameras.
Some media reports inaccurately conflate the term 'ghost plates' with legal 3D and 4D number plates, which are not designed to avoid detection or identification. That said, Sarah Coombes and others have called for 3D and 4D plates to be banned as well. Ms Coombes said, "Banning 3D and 4D plates would also help ensure there’s less deviation allowed on number plates."
As well as plates that have been constructed or altered to defeat enforcement cameras, there are also the issues of stolen and cloned (copied) number plates. Transport for London reports that cases of number plate cloning in the capital have increased by 64% in the last three years, and the National Police Chiefs Council estimates that there could be as many as 20,000 cars with cloned plates on UK roads.
Not fit for purpose?
Professor Fraser Sampson, a former Surveillance Camera Commissioner, who is now a member of the Vehicle Identification Group at Cranfield University has described the UK's current vehicle registration plate system "wholly inadequate".
This expert group also recently stated that:
the current arrangements for the supply and regulation of number plates represent a significant enduring risk, not only to policing and road safety, but also to the critical infrastructure of the country.
Sarah Coombes said, "Ending the number plate wild west is absolutely crucial if we're to keep people safe on our roads. In such a technologically advanced world, it seems genuinely inconceivable that we’re still relying on a piece of plastic to identify vehicles. Imagine what this means if someone drives away from a hit-and-run and is using an untraceable number plate?"
Ms Coombes also pointed out perceived weaknesses in the number plate supply chain. "Right now, you pay a one-off fee of £40 to the DVLA to become a supplier. If we made sure suppliers had to pay a fee annually subject to fulfilling stricter conditions, that would ensure only legitimate suppliers can sell number plates."
What next?
Technology is already catching up with the latest anti-camera exploits. Surrey police have recently completed a trial in collaboration with smart infrastructure technology company NOW Wireless. The trial used a new system aimed at detecting ghost plates, thus enabling interception and enforcement of relevant laws.
The NOW Wireless SenseTrace AI spots and records vehicles displaying ghost number plates using real-time analysis of existing CCTV and ANPR data. The system detects ghost plates by comparing images of captured plates to actual vehicle data.
The process
- Capture: Live CCTV/ANPR data streams
- Analyse: AI compares plate data with vehicle records
- Detect: Flags ghost and cloned plates instantly
- Alert: Sends notifications to traffic control teams
- Act: Officers intervene immediately
Surrey police and NOW Wireless have described the trial as successful.
Other specialist companies are also entering the fray. MAV Systems has developed a new AiQ ANPR/ALPR camera that can detect number plates that have been illegally treated to evade reading by conventional enforcement cameras.
When tests are complete, it seems likely that this kind of technology will be favoured by the government and the police. However, there is little doubt that other measures will also be forthcoming.
What changes can be made to the UK number plates system?
As we saw above, there is talk of tightening regulation of the number plates supply chain. That could mean more red-tape and regulation for retailers and manufacturers. It could also mean placing restrictions on the sale of the materials used in number plate manufacture.
More ambitiously, technological measures could be introduced into our cars and/or to our number plates to enable direct remote tracking and identification of vehicles. Such a move would undoubtedly be controversial, not to mention complicated and expensive to implement.
In fact, various kinds of 'digital' number plates are already being introduced in a number of countries around the world. These have been met with almost universal suspicion and it remains to be seen what, if any, real impact they have on the kinds of crimes and issues the UK inquiry is considering.
The bottom line
Whatever happens in the short to medium term, it seems hugely unlikely that number plates will be phased out in the foreseeable future. Technological tracking may or may not be an avenue that the government chooses to follow. Either way, there will surely still be a need to visually identify vehicles. In order to do that, some kind of unique visual identifying code will be necessary. Something like a number plate.
