Experts will today meet with minsters to tell them to get tough on illegal number plates sold online that allow speeding drivers and criminals to evade prosecution.
The Government is being urged to clampdown on the rise in availability and use of so-called 'ghost number plates'.
These plates have a reflective coating, which prevents them from being identified by by speed cameras and roadside ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras that enforce low emission zones, bus lanes, car parks, traffic light infringements and other forms of traffic management.
Unscrupulous businesses online are also flogging self-adhesive laminate covers that can be stuck to existing plates rendering them invisible to enforcement cameras.
The British Number Plate Manufacturers Association, which represents companies producing the vast majority of plates in the UK, wants tougher regulation of the sector to crackdown on illegal suppliers.
Its chairman warned the products are 'enabling serious criminals and terrorists to move around the roads undetected'.
'Ghost' plates use a special reflective coating to make number and letter combinations unreadable to speed and ANPR cameras
As well as selling ghost plates, online retailers are also brazenly offering transparent films and reflective sprays that obscure a plate's letter and number combination under infrared light.
Sprays are advertised by sellers on well-known online retailers for around £4.
Some are also selling plates with subtly altered characters that disrupt camera software's ability to recognise them accurately.
As well as listing on popular retail sites, companies offering these products are incredibly easy to find online - a quick search for 'ghost number plates' on a major search engine returns three different companies selling them.
While highly sophisticated and used to enforce speeding and various types of traffic management - including enforcing clean air zones including the London ULEZ and Birmingham CAZ - infrared cameras are not foolproof and are susceptible to illegal plate modifications.
Reflective coating bounces the infrared light back to the camera to make plates unreadable to the high-resolution imaging software. Altered fonts, misaligned characters and non-standard designs intentionally confuse a camera's optical character recognition (OCR) software.
Poor lighting, heavy rain and dirt and mud can also limit ANPR detection.
According to the RAC Foundation, approximately one in 12 number plates is either obscured or damaged. However, others have reported that around one in 15 could be deliberately modified or altered for evasion purposes.
While highly sophisticated and used to enforce speeding and various types of traffic management, infrared cameras are not foolproof and are susceptible to illegal plate modifications
A ghost plate's reflective coating bounces the infrared light back to the camera to make plates unreadable to the imaging software
In a letter sent to the Government ahead of Tuesday's parliamentary roundtable event, the BNMA claimed sellers who are not registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and therefore not following its rules are bringing the plates to market unchallenged.
It warned that this has led to a rise in use of ghost plates as well as 'cloning' - when criminals purchase duplicate registration plates to those of a vehicle of the same make and colour they have spotted on the road or while scouring used car adverts.
BNMA chairman Michael Flanagan said: 'Far from being the tightly regulated industry it should be, number plates are increasingly being sold by unscrupulous below-the-radar suppliers using non-compliant, untraceable materials.
'They rarely ask for the documentation that the DVLA require.
'This is a criminal offence and enables serious criminals and terrorists to move around the roads undetected.
'Motorists deserve to know they are buying a legal, compliant number plate from a legitimate supplier.
'Now is the time for Government to tighten the regulations.'
RAC head of policy Simon Williams, who will also attend the roundtable with MPs today, added: 'Given the proliferation of number plate recognition cameras used for various types of enforcement, it simply isn't right that criminals can get away with these offences by easily purchasing illegal ghost plates.
'Together with the modern motoring menace that is cloned number plates, where blameless drivers have to prove their innocence for motoring offences they didn't commit, it's apparent these are serious and growing problems that need solutions.'
![Licence plate sprays that are described as 'easy to apply, leaving a clear, transparent coat that doesn't [affect] the appearance of your plate' are shown to reflect a cameras image are available on huge online retail sites](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/06/03/09/95602037-14774857-On_one_listing_on_Amazon_it_promises_to_block_infrared_signals_a-a-14_1748940488936.jpg)
Licence plate sprays that are described as 'easy to apply, leaving a clear, transparent coat that doesn't [affect] the appearance of your plate' are shown to reflect a cameras image are available on huge online retail sites
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Ghost plates cost less than a third of a speeding fine
Sarah Coombes, Labour MP for West Bromwich, has already backed the calls.
In February, she introduced the issue under a Ten Minute Rule Bill, which allows backbench MPs to make their case for a new bill within the set timeframe.
She called for increased punishment for those caught with a ghost plate or using sprays and films, saying it should be hiked from a £100 fine and no penalty points to an on-the-spot £1,000 ticket and six points on an offender's licence.
Earlier this year, she appeared on Good Morning Britain to showcase just how effective the products are as she continued her campaign to tackle the problem.
Sarah Coombes (pictured), Labour MP for West Bromwich, laid down a Ten Minute Rule Bill in February to increase penalties for being caught with a ghost number plate to a £1,000 fine and six points
'There are a select minority of people who think they are above the law and that by using a ghost plate they can get away with running red lights, drink-driving, speeding and much worse,' Coombes said earlier this year.
'It cannot be right that these drivers are not facing the consequences of their actions and are creating so much danger for everyone else.'
During the reading, she said the plates are 'widely known' on social media and online, where they can be purchased for as little as £30, which is less than a third of the cost of a speeding fine.
Ahead of today's meeting, which she will host with industry experts, the DVLA and police forces, Coombes said: 'Dodgy number plates are no longer a fringe issue. They're everywhere and they're undermining the rule of law on our roads.
'I know this Government is committed to making our roads safer for everyone. Tightening the law on number plates will be a huge step in the right direction.'
A DVLA spokesman added: 'DVLA is committed to ensuring all number plates are displayed correctly and legally. We work with the police and Trading Standards to take action against suppliers who do not comply with the law.
'A legitimate supplier will always ask to see ID and entitlement documents before selling a number plate. Where this doesn't happen, members of the public can report this directly to their local Trading Standards.'
