Number Plates > News > Fuel Crisis Fuels Number Plate Thefts

Fuel Crisis Fuels Number Plate Thefts

Number plate theives are increasingly using the stolen plates to avoid paying escalating petrol prices. Stolen license plates can be attached to a thief's car, allowing them to make off without payment once they have filled up at a petrol stations.

A police spokesman said: "These criminals steal licence plates to put on their own cars and fill up at a petrol station and drive off without paying.

"Most garages have CCTV that record car number plates as they are using the pumps, the perpetrators know we won't be able to trace it back to them and they won't be the one getting prosecuted."

He added that he expected to see this type of activity increasing, should the petrol crisis continue to worsen.

One victim of number-plate theft is Hampshire car salesman Malcolm Mathews. The 65-year-old told Hampshire's Daily Echo: "I couldn't understand why these criminals just steal my number plate and nothing else. It never occurred to me that the number plate would be used for stealing fuel."

Mr Mathews number plate was stolen in a busy street in broad daylight, prompting police to urge drivers to report any suspicious activity to police and take extra security measures to protect their vehicles, such as purchasing tamper proof number plate screws.

Design your Number Plate

The DemonPlates Number Plate Maker allows you to design a registration plate using a number of advanced customisation options. When you enter your new registration number you are shown a preview of the plate in seconds.

These articles are provided for entertainment purposes. You are advised to refer to the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 1971 for legal information and our Terms and Conditions before using our plate maker to design your Number Plates.