Camera trials flag thousands of daily ‘ghost plate’ detections

BBC Panorama reports that ANPR provider MAV Systems has been testing cameras designed to identify and read ‘ghost plates’ at three sites in south-east England. Near the Dartford Crossing, one camera has recorded an average of more than 1,000 detections a day over several months. At a site near the M25, daily detections have risen from 1,000 to nearly 2,000; another near the Eurotunnel at Folkestone is flagging more than 400 a day. These are counts of detections, rather than distinct vehicles. [1]

Ghost plates show a vehicle’s correct registration but use reflective materials that make them difficult or impossible for most automatic number-plate recognition cameras to read. They differ from cloned plates, which display another vehicle’s registration. [1]

During visits to three number-plate businesses in Essex, Panorama found that two offered plates they said could help drivers avoid cameras enforcing London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone. One sold a plate for £40 without asking for ID or proof of entitlement. Buying a ghost plate is not itself illegal, but driving with one fitted is. [1]

The UK has more than 34,000 suppliers registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). Panorama’s freedom of information request found that, since 2020, two suppliers have both been prosecuted and forcibly removed from the register. Six DVLA officers are assigned to inspecting and auditing suppliers. [1]