Thousands of Illegal Number Plates are being detected by a new camera system being tested on motorways across south-east England, raising concerns about the ability of existing automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology to identify vehicles.
The new system has been designed to detect so-called ghost number plates, which use special reflective materials that can make registration details difficult or impossible for conventional ANPR cameras to read. Such cameras are widely used to enforce speed restrictions and low-emission zones and to help police identify vehicles linked to crime.
The scale of the issue has emerged through testing by MAV Systems, one of the UK’s main ANPR technology providers. At a location near the Dartford Crossing, the system has detected an average of more than 1,000 ghost plates every day over several months.
Major ANPR camera test reveals growing problem
Two additional sites have been testing the technology for almost two years. At one location near the M25, detections have increased from about 1,000 a day to nearly 2,000, while a site near the Eurotunnel at Folkestone is identifying more than 400 ghost plates each day.
The figures highlight the methods some drivers use to prevent their vehicles from being recognised by ANPR cameras. These include cloned registration plates, where two vehicles display the same registration number, and ghost plates designed to interfere with camera systems.
The UK has about 14,000 ANPR camera sites, capturing around 100 million number plates each day. Experts have raised concerns that existing systems may be struggling to keep pace with techniques used to avoid detection.
Tony Porter, a former senior counter-terrorism officer who has advised the government on surveillance cameras, said cloned and ghost plates weaken the police’s ability to track organised criminals.
“The police need an effective ANPR system that doesn’t have weaknesses [and] doesn’t put the public at risk,” he said.
Cloned registration plates linked to fatal crashes
Families affected by road deaths involving illegal vehicle plates have told Panorama about the devastating consequences.
Jason Wallis was killed in Buckinghamshire in 2023 after he and his brother-in-law, Lewis Baker, crashed their motorbikes into a car while travelling at high speed. Baker survived and was later jailed for 15 months for dangerous driving after admitting he had used a device to hide his number plate from public view.
Wallis’s mother, Sharon Gannon, described the impact on her family, saying: “It has broken us all.”
In another case, 81-year-old Graham Slinn was killed on a pedestrian crossing in 2025 after being struck at high speed by a car using cloned plates. The driver, 20-year-old Cain Byrne, was driving without a licence or insurance and had inhaled nitrous oxide shortly before the collision.
Byrne was identified after police examined hours of CCTV footage, including footage showing him putting the illegal plates onto his car. He was sentenced to 11 years and six months in prison for causing death by dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.
Slinn’s daughter, Nicola Timmis, said cloned plates can act as a “gateway drug” to more serious offending. She added: “It seems like it’s harmless, but then one thing leads to another, leads to another, and before you know it, it’s somebody dead. It is not a victimless crime.”
DVLA faces calls for tougher plate regulation, Illegal Number Plates
The investigation also found concerns about how easily people can obtain illegal plates. More than 34,000 businesses are registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to supply number plates, while becoming a registered supplier currently involves completing a form and paying a one-off fee.
Undercover filming at a market in Essex found that two of three businesses approached offered ghost plates that they said could help avoid cameras enforcing London’s Ultra-Low Emission Zone. One business sold a plate without requesting identification or proof that the buyer was entitled to use the registration.
The plate cost £40 and was produced within eight minutes. Although purchasing a ghost plate is not itself illegal, using one on a vehicle on the road is against the law.
A Freedom of Information request by Panorama found that only two number plate suppliers had been prosecuted and removed from the DVLA register since 2020. Just six DVLA officers are responsible for inspecting and auditing thousands of registered suppliers.
The DVLA said it was “cleaning up the register, strengthening compliance and enforcement” and continued working with police and Trading Standards against suppliers that break the rules.
Government plans national illegal plate crackdown, Illegal Number Plates
During a roadside operation involving police and the DVLA near Birmingham and West Bromwich, specialist infrared goggles identified a van displaying a ghost plate. The driver received a £100 fine and said he did not know the plate was illegal.
Police later inspected the supplier and found ghost plates among its stock, as well as separate ghost letters and numbers. Officers said the separate items suggested “some level of intent”. The supplier received a warning letter, while a prosecution is still being considered.
Chief Constable Tim Forber, the UK’s policing lead on ANPR, said police forces want tighter licensing and regulation for number plate suppliers.
“Not a week goes by where we don’t see an example of someone on cloned plates involved in serious and organised crime,” he said.
Justin Madders, the minister responsible for UK vehicle registration, said the government recognised the need for a stronger system. A national centre is being created to bring police forces together, share intelligence and test new technology aimed at improving road safety, tackling organised crime and preventing drivers from avoiding fines.