News NATIONAL FLAGS - its official as of 27/04/2009 they are legal! Monday 27 April 2009 10:18 Department for Transport (National) Law change allows motorists to fly the flag Patriotic motorists are now able to display national flags on their number plates after Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon secured a change in the law. Under the new rules - which come into force today - motorists in England, Scotland and Wales can display the Union flag, Cross of St George, Saltire or Red Dragon of Wales. Geoff Hoon said: "The display of our national flags is a healthy expression of the pride we have in our country. "It is right that motorists are now able to celebrate this pride by displaying flags on their number plates and I look forward to seeing our national symbols on cars around the country." Welsh Secretary Paul Murphy said: "Today the Government has delivered a commitment to allow the Welsh Dragon on to number plates. I hope the Red Dragon will now become a familiar sight across Wales and beyond as motorists take the opportunity to display their Welsh pride on their plates. "There are more than 1.7 million vehicles registered in Wales, any of those can now choose to proudly fly the Welsh flag to promote Wales on the roads across the UK and Europe. " Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy said: "The Saltire is a proud symbol of Scotland which belongs to every Scot so it's right that drivers here should be allowed to display it on their licence plates. "This is good news for Scottish motorists who, thanks to changes in the law made by the UK Government, can now use this important part of their identity in public. I welcome today's announcement. " The flags can be displayed on the left hand side of the number plate. NOTES TO EDITORS 1. Vehicle number plates must comply with the specifications contained in the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001. These regulations specify, amongst other things, the character size, font, colour and spacing that registration numbers must comply with. These Regulations also make provision for the voluntary display of the blue European Flag with "GB" within the circle of stars. This allows motorists to travel within the European Community without the need to display the conventional oval sticker to identify in which member state the vehicle is registered. 2. The amendments to the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001 that come into force today mean that motorists in England, Scotland and Wales can display the Union flag, Cross of St George, Cross of St Andrew (also known as the Saltire) or Red Dragon of Wales as well one of the following identifiers: GREAT BRITAIN, Great Britain, GB, UNITED KINGDOM, United Kingdom, UK, CYMRU, Cymru, CYM, Cym, ENGLAND, England, ENG, Eng, SCOTLAND, Scotland, SCO, Sco, WALES or Wales. No other symbols or flags can be displayed on number plates. Motorists displaying national flags and identifiers will still be required to display the conventional oval sticker when travelling in Europe. Public Enquiries: 020 7944 8300 Department for Transport Website: http://www.dft.gov.uk BRAND NEW DVLA LEGISLATION On the 1st August 2008 the current register of number plate suppliers (RNPS) was extended to include Scotland and Northern Ireland. To register on the RNPS CLICK HERE The legislation also states that only the name and postcode of the supplying outlet can now be used; NO web site addresses, telephone numbers OR logo's can be displayed. This will be enforcable from November 1st 2008. For further details contact your number plate supplier. Tamper Proof Number Plates, DVLA to launch major awareness advertising campaign starting on 10th May 2006 To download full criteria in PDF format Click Here News Police Interest in Illegal Number Plates To Read Click Here Tamper Proof Number Plates To Read Click Here Electronic Tagging of Number Plates To Read Click Here Latest News - Additional powers to combat the supply of illegal number plates Latest Proposal for expansion of Legislation for Scotland & Northern Ireland (Proposed 2007) Police Interest in Illegal Number Plates We have recently become aware of an increased interest in illegal number plates by the Police. Drivers of vehicles displaying plates which clearly do not meet the current legal requirements are being stopped by Police Officers and are being issued with a Vehicle Defect Rectification Form (VDR).This form is used for all vehicle defects, not just number plate offences. Police have shown a particular interest with incorrect spacing, wrong size or type of lettering such as italics, and incorrect colour marking of the reflective background. A driver who receives a VDR is given a fixed period of time to rectify the issue raised, this is at the officer's discretion and can range from 1 - 28 days. In the case of a serious defect, the officer can in fact ban the vehicle from the road with immediate effect. On receiving the notice the driver must get the number plates replaced with a legal set and take the vehicle to an MOT station for them to check that the requirements of the VDR have been met. If the MOT station is satisfied, they will stamp the VDR and return it to the driver who in turn must send it back to the Police. The MOT station can charge the full cost of an MOT, in the region of £30.00, for this service. On receiving the completed form the Police will check that the requirements have been met within the allowed time scale. If the Police do not receive a completed VDR, or if it has not met the required time scale then a prosecution will follow. NUMBER PLATE SUPPLIERS CONVICTED. DVLA Press Release No. 45. Dated 5th August 2004. To read Click Here TAMPER PROOF NUMBER PLATES & ELECTRONIC TAGGING OF NUMBER PLATES The DVLA View To read Click Here The information on this page are in PDF format and will require Adobe Acrobat Reader™. If you require the FREE Adobe Acrobat Reader click here and download prior to selection.