Our Probe Sparks Web Blitz

Internet companies which sell car registration plates illegally are being targeted in a new DVLA crackdown - thanks to an Auto Express undercover investigation.

Auto Express Car Reviews

13th December 2004

Since 1 January 2003, all plate suppliers should check every customer's personal ID and ensure they own the vehicle they're buying for. The rules were introduced to make it harder for crooks to create new identities for stolen cars - known as cloning. But shockingly, seven out of the eight Internet-based firms we contacted and ordered number plates from sold us a set without asking to see any of the relevant documentation.

A DVLA spokesman said: "We are concerned about reports that many online companies may be acting illegally. We're planning to investigate the sale of plates over the Internet."

And he added that although it may be hard for mail order or Web-based retailers to check a customer's paperwork, this did not mean they could ignore the rules. Some firms said their plates are for "showroom use only" and shouldn't be used on the road. But these disclaimers mean nothing in law.

The details of the companies which sold us plates have now been passed to the DVLA. If prosecuted, each could be fined up to ΂£1,000 and banned from making them in the future.