HUNDREDS of number plates dubbed ‘too offensive for the road’ have been banned by the DVLA.
There are over one million plates released twice a year (at every plate change), so it’s perhaps unsurprising that there are some unfortunate combinations of letters and numbers which spell – or almost spell – some rather rude words.
The DVLA has put a stop to drivers obtaining certain rude reg numbers
A freedom of information enquiry has revealed the full list of forbidden combinations, which includes the likes of BO73 LOX, HA73 GAY, LE73 ZZA, SH73 TER, and WH73 PWR, Auto Express reports.
The AN73 prefix has been disallowed – when used with a range of three-letter combinations because it might be interpreted as either “ANTI” or “ANY.”
And the same goes for EA73 with its ‘EATS’ connotations and HA73 as a shorthand for ‘HATES’.
Each year, two sets of number plates are released; this year, the ‘23’ number plate was released in March, with the ‘73’ plates set to be issued in September.
Jon Kirkbright, sales director at Platehunter, is an expert in buying and selling private number plates.
Commenting on the banned plates, Jon told The Bury Times: “With so many plates being released at once, it is no surprise that some of them are not fit for the road.
“However, some of them are borderline, but I understand why the DVLA chose to be extra cautious. They are simply trying to protect what is a very significant source of revenue for them.”
“If customers cannot find what they are looking for, they can inform us of their specifications, and we can notify them if it becomes available.
“We are also able to get any number plate to the auction from the DVLA as long as it is legal and has never been issued before.”
This comes after drivers were left in shock after discovering that their number plate could cost them a £1,00 fine.
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