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Ghost plate discovery leaves another locally licensed PHV unable to work until legal plates are fitted
A private hire vehicle has been suspended from service after a further set of “ghost plates” was found in the Avon and Somerset area, according to PC Patrick Quinton of Avon and Somerset Police.
In a message accompanying an image of a silver Toyota Camry with its rear registration plate removed, Quinton said: “Another ghost plate found … Vehicle suspended from service until road legal plates put back on. If in doubt, ask me to check yours…”
Ghost plates are number plates made or altered so cameras, including Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems, cannot reliably read the registration. Some use materials or coatings that affect how the characters appear to cameras, even when the plate may look ordinary to the naked eye.
The latest case follows other ghost plate findings involving Quinton. In a previous incident, he reported dealing with two sets of plates on locally licensed private hire vehicles. He said both vehicle licences were immediately suspended and the plates seized for destruction or training.
Quinton has also reported a separate seizure of a suspected ghost plate from a private hire vehicle, and identified one ghost plate during enforcement checks around Glastonbury Festival. In another case at Cheltenham’s November race meeting, a Wolverhampton-licensed PHV inspected by Quinton and a council licensing officer was found with ghost plates. The vehicle’s licence was suspended and the case referred to Wolverhampton’s licensing team.
Ghost plates can undermine camera enforcement by preventing a vehicle’s registration from being captured correctly. ANPR is used by police to identify vehicles and support investigations, while local authorities and other operators use camera systems to enforce restrictions and charges.
The presence of a ghost plate does not, by itself, establish why it was fitted.
Quinton has encouraged drivers who are unsure whether their plates are road legal to ask him to check them. In an earlier statement, he said he uses a specialist camera to detect plates that cannot be identified by eye and offered voluntary checks to local drivers.
