Number Plates News

Better Plate Than Never!

28 April 2009

At long last, the powers that be have got their bottoms in gear and sorted out the ludicrously protracted issue of national emblems on UK car number plates. It’s taken parliamentary questions, public pressure and media ridicule to achieve it, but finally we are told that we are allowed to legally display our English, Scottish, Welsh and Union flags next to our car registration numbers.

The resolution of the problem has taken eight years to put in place. Not only has it taken an incredible length of time to address the anomaly, but during that time, motorists have been left in a state of profound confusion over the matter.

In the beginning, drivers and number plates manufacturers were told that the UK’s national flags would be legal to display – but that legality was never secured. Then there was a period of entirely baffling mixed messages from the authorities. Although plates displaying the flags were technically non-compliant with regulations, officials said that they had suggested to the police that enforcement could be relaxed until the matter was tidied up. For a while things seemed to at least be workable in a practical, every day sense, but then there came tales of cars being refused MOT certificates because their number plates did not comply with the published regulations. Confusion reigned once again.

Now, finally, we are officially allowed to display the Cross of St George, The Scottish Saltire and the Welsh Dragon and the British Union Flag on our number plates. Amendments to the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001 that came into force this week have made the situation quite clear.

Or have they? There is still a small inconvenience awaiting UK drivers who venture across the Channel.

Cars displaying the Euro plate – the design which bears the Euro ring-of-stars symbol and the legend “GB” – will be allowed to drive in Europe with no other markings required to show their country of origin. However, patriots who affix national flag plates to their cars will find that they are still required to display a “GB” sticker!