Whilst there is no law against having a dirty car, having a dirty licence plate may result in your prosecution for a motoring offence!
“A registration plate must not be treated in any other way which renders the characters of the registration mark less easily distinguishable to the eye or which would prevent or impair the making of a true photographic image of the plate through the medium of camera and film or any other device.”The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001
Since a dirty licence plate could mean it may not be readable, it can be seen as a potential deliberate attempt to avoid detection or identification by speed cameras or to prevent the police from identifying a vehicle through the use of ANPR cameras. In fact, even if your mucky numberplate is an entirely unintentional phenomenon you could still face prosecution.
Licence plates are subject to a number of rules which include:
Motorbikes and tricycles registered on or after 1 September 2001 need only display a number plate at the rear of the vehicle.
The Gov UK website contains various leaflets which detail the strict specific requirements such as the spacing and size of the lettering.
Under the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 if you are caught with a dirty number plate, you may receive an on the spot fine of £100 or, if a matter is passed to court this can increase up to a level 3 fine of £1000. So our advice is to make sure your car or at least your number plate is cleaned on a regular basis. Ultimately, even if you pay for a car wash, it’s going to be much, much cheaper than a fine!
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