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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Neil Shaw & Kieran Isgin

DVLA bans new 23 number plates that are 'too rude for the road'

All new cars in the UK will be rolled out with the brand new 23 plates attached due to a new DVLA issue.

However, some combinations of plates have been subjected to a ban. The DVLA regularly outlaws number plates with certain combinations of letters and numbers if they are deemed as rude or offensive.

A meeting is held twice a year prior to a new number plate release so staff can comb through all the potential registration plates to look for "combinations of numbers and letters where we consider that they may cause offence, embarrassment or are in poor taste”.

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The list of ‘23’ plates was obtained by carwow via a freedom of information request, revealing plates that would always be rude, as well as some that coukld be offensive in the current situation, Wales Online reports.

Some of the plates banned include GO23 HEL or EA23 POO as well as BA23 TRD. BO23 OKS and MU23 DER are also likely to cause offence. However, some plates that are offensive may miss the list, however, the DVLA is able to ban them at a later date.

The organisation highlights that "the vast majority of registration numbers are made available”, as most are unlikely to cause offence. Carwow's consumer editor, Hugo Griffiths, said: "Personalised number plates are a huge business, bringing in £2billion for the Treasury since the DVLA started selling them in 1989, with around 400,000 cherished plates sold each year.

"Despite this lucrative revenue stream, there are some plates that are simply too rude for the road.

"And while few would argue against the suppression of offensive number plates, the biannual meetings where DVLA staff sit down and deliberately come up with rude combinations must be one of the highlights of the organisation’s calendar.

"Even for those not interested in personalised registrations, changing your car during the March and September plate-change months can be a wise idea, both for people wanting to have the latest reg, and for bargain hunters who could get a good deal on a car with the previous registration."

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