Crackdown on 'ghost' plates snares 8 drivers

MORE MOTORISTS ARE NOW USING SPECIAL COATING TO AVOID DETECTION

- JANE HAYNES News Reporter

DRIVERS who are fixing illegal 'ghost plates' on their cars to evade police, parking and speed cameras are being targeted in a new clampdown by West Midlands Police, backed by road safety activists and MPs.

Eight were caught in a single morning blitz in the centre of West Bromwich on Friday, July 4 - among 27 motorists in all who were snagged in an operation involving police, councils, the DVLA and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency in and around High Street, Providence Place and New Square Shopping Centre.

They will all now face prosecution or fixed penalties and potentially points on their licences.

The initiative was backed by West Bromwich MP Sarah Coombes, who is pressing for tougher regulations around the sale and use of the so-called stealth plates.

While visible to the naked eye and appearing to meet regulations, the plates are specially coated so the digits and letters show up white on infrared and other technology typically used in roadside cameras.

Their use is strongly connected to criminal activity and allow motorists to become 'invisible'.