'Invisible' cars aim to outwit cameras

Motorists are dodging speed cameras by using "ghost plates" to make their cars invisible to the law, council chiefs have warned.

- SION MORGAN Assistant Content Editor [e-mail]

The illegal plates, which reflect camera flashes, prevent detection by speed and bus lane cameras and are also referred to as 3D or 4D plates.

Authorities are now ramping up efforts to stop drivers from exploiting this loophole.

Two years ago, the person in charge of the national Automatic Number Plate Recognition system disclosed that a surprising number of drivers around one in 15 manage to trick the system with relative ease.

On leaving his position, Professor Fraser Sampson wrote to Transport Secretary Mark Harper, lamenting the lack of action against these simple yet cunning tactics.

To tackle the issue, councils have been provided with new cameras capable of recognising the elusive number plates. In Wolverhampton, local wardens were equipped with the advanced tech as part of a rigorous enforcement campaign last year.

Those caught can expect a £100 fine for such infractions.