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Feb 23, 2008 12:05:26 GMT
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There is/has been a campaign on number plate regs locally/nationally over the last couple of weeks. Our Maud got a tug and ticket for not having a space between the numbers and letters on the Clio. Copper who did her agreed it was a bit petty, as the number was still perfectly legible, all the font was correct, and they were the correct white front and yellow rear. But, he said that, as it was a campaign, he couldn't use discretion and just advise her to change them.
So, looks like you may have been a bit lucky, AK, in only having a warning letter. Although it does seem odd that they saw fit to write to you to tell you, instead of just pulling you and having a chat at the side o the road.
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Feb 23, 2008 20:32:44 GMT
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If they saw you out on the road they should have pulled you then. Strange.
Get those plates changed on the Cortina, sounds like thats the motor they have a problem with.
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1987 Maestro 1.6 HL perkins diesel conversion 1986 Audi 100 Avant 1800cc on LPG 1979 Allegro Series 2 special 4 door 1500cc with vynil roof. IN BITS. HERITAGE ISSUES.
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Seth
South East
MorrisOxford TriumphMirald HillmanMinx BorgwardIsabellaCombi
Posts: 15,538
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Feb 23, 2008 20:52:44 GMT
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On the assumption that your other cars are Sorned they could hardly get you for them having dodgy plates when they couldn't legally be used on the road and you'd fit them with the correct plates before that time comes....
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Follow your dreams or you might as well be a vegetable.
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Feb 23, 2008 21:09:10 GMT
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I reckon it is part of the nationwide campaign to make plates legible to ANPR. There was a bit in the local rag recently about a crackdown on mis-spaced, funny font, black blobs and "illegal use of black/white type non reflective plates" so thats on ANY vehicle registered after 31st dec 1972. (BTW, thats reg date, not build date, if you have a 72 build 73 reg tax excempt, you still cant have black and whites). The reason for this is of course that ANPR relies on the reflective nature of the plates to pick them up, black and whites ain't reflective, and you cannae change the laws of physics, Jim!
I suspect that your local force, rather than waste manpower stopping everyone with iffy plates compiled a list of "dodgy" plates on otherwise legit vehicles (like your mk3, AK), sent a form letter to all the registered keepers threatening a visit, and wait for good concience to do the rest. If you still have the original speedex style plates, put them back on tomorrow, before they make you buy perspex horrors instead. It wont be the SORNed cars, there is no reqirement that I know of for them to even display their plates (mine are often in a box in the boot, lol)
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To get a standard A40 this low, you'd have to dig a hole to put it in
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Feb 23, 2008 21:23:17 GMT
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As said, looks like it's only on the Cortina and legally you don't have a leg to stand on so grovel a bit or get a new set made up.
For the American stuff, here's a copy and paste from the DVLA site:
Certain imported vehicles may be permitted to display number plates with smaller characters if:
The vehicle does not have European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval
AND
The vehicle's construction/design cannot accomodate standard size number plates
Specifications for smaller sized plates (for certain imported vehicles) Character Height: 64mm Character Width: 44mm Character Stroke: 10mm Space between characters: 10mm
Take down all those "smash the state" student posters down from your garage when they call around ;D
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Feb 23, 2008 22:20:23 GMT
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ANY vehicle registered after 31st dec 1972. (BTW, thats reg date, not build date, if you have a 72 build 73 reg tax excempt, you still cant have black and whites). The reason for this is of course that ANPR relies on the reflective nature of the plates to pick them up, black and whites ain't reflective When Gordon Brown fixed the rolling tax excemption to 31/12/72 back in the 1997 budget they also changed the requirement for black plates to be "manufactured befroe..." not "registered before..." Up to that point it was "registered before 1/1/73" but they changed it then to "build before 1/1/73" - I remember Practical Classics doing a big thing about it at the time. So unless its changed again since, any tax exempt car should legally be able to run black plates, although the notice they sent me does say " registered before 1/1/73" - like I say I remember PC doing a big deal about it having changed. So technically my 1965 Oldsmobile, 1966 Buick, 1968 Plymouth cannot run black plates by one rule, and can by the other. (imported in 1991, 2001 and 2002) Also my old Victor saloon wouldn't be able to because it was registered 1984, although "declared manufactured 1967" due to it falling off the register when the computerised back in 1983. Funny old business. As for the ANPR cameras - they can read black plates. Where I used to work we had a secure site controlled by ANPR gates. They could read the black plates on my FD Estate I ran when I worked there. Not 100% but then they couldn't read dirty plates or plates on Alfa 156s either... All surfaces reflect to some extent. We only see things which reflect or emit light.
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1941 Wolseley Not Rod - 1956 Humber Hawk - 1957 Daimler Conquest - 1966 Buick LeSabre - 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury - 1968 Ford Galaxie - 1969 Ford Country Squire - 1969 Mercury Marquis - 1970 Morris Minor - 1970 Buick Skylark - 1970 Ford Galaxie - 1971 Ford Galaxie - 1976 Continental Mark IV - 1976 Ford Capri - 1994 Ford Fiesta
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Feb 23, 2008 22:33:23 GMT
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If I was you I would possibly consider contacting the Police to establish the validity of the letter, you would not be the first to have received a letter claiming to be a 'Scary Official Body' only to find that some disgruntled neighbour/former friend/partner just wanted to mess with their heads.
Of course, be very polite and helpful, it may well be legit but if its someone taking the mickey, impersonating a police officer is something that may distract them from number plate shenanigans.
Plus if its genuine, you can ask your questions without them being all over your house providing entertainment for the curtain twitchers ;D
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'82 Volvo 244 DL "Priscilla" '95 Subaru Impreza WRX Wagon "Xtina" 1988 VW Jetta "Lena"
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Feb 23, 2008 22:41:46 GMT
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www.cctv-information.co.uk/constant3/anpr.htmlI refer you to this excellent document on the ins and outs of ANPR. To work on moving traffic in all conditions it *REALLY* needs the plates to be reflective, honest. Didnt know about the change to "manufactured before", our local plod seem to think its still date of registration, I know someone who was forced to change plates on a 73 reg'd but tax free car.
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To get a standard A40 this low, you'd have to dig a hole to put it in
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Aye, I suppose theres a fair difference between a car pulling up at a factory gate and a car doing 40-50 MPH
I believe the letter/notice to be genuine. Its sufficiently badly laid out that its been done by someone for whom IT does not come easily LOL. Also the envelope is franked "Crimestoppers" with the 0800 number and "Nottinghamshire Constabulary". Faking a franking machine is a reasonable piece of work... ;D
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1941 Wolseley Not Rod - 1956 Humber Hawk - 1957 Daimler Conquest - 1966 Buick LeSabre - 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury - 1968 Ford Galaxie - 1969 Ford Country Squire - 1969 Mercury Marquis - 1970 Morris Minor - 1970 Buick Skylark - 1970 Ford Galaxie - 1971 Ford Galaxie - 1976 Continental Mark IV - 1976 Ford Capri - 1994 Ford Fiesta
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Oh - and - appart from the Practical Classic thing 10 years ago I've seen nothing particlar in writing about the black number plate being date of manufacture. The notice I have says "date of registration". Some diggiing required perhaps.
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1941 Wolseley Not Rod - 1956 Humber Hawk - 1957 Daimler Conquest - 1966 Buick LeSabre - 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury - 1968 Ford Galaxie - 1969 Ford Country Squire - 1969 Mercury Marquis - 1970 Morris Minor - 1970 Buick Skylark - 1970 Ford Galaxie - 1971 Ford Galaxie - 1976 Continental Mark IV - 1976 Ford Capri - 1994 Ford Fiesta
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1900sr
Part of things
I like Mantas me!
Posts: 875
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Feb 24, 2008 13:17:30 GMT
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It is vehicles manufactured before 1/1/73, see here www.dvla.gov.uk/media/pdf/leaflets/displayofnumberplates.pdfIt also states that plates fitted after 1/9/2001 must conform to the latest regs, unless the vehicle was constructed pre 1973. That in effect means that if I break one of the rivetted digit plates on my 1973 Manta I can only legally replace it with a modern acrylic plate.
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Last Edit: Feb 24, 2008 13:20:10 GMT by 1900sr
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Feb 24, 2008 13:31:24 GMT
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blimey its hard enough to enforce the regs we have and your suggestionis to make it even more complicated? Gentlemen, I think we may have a member of Parliament on the forum! Them's fightin' words. Seriously though, the whole business of letting people make their own plates and then enforcing the laws as to how they should look is bizarre!
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mk14dr
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 4,472
Club RR Member Number: 85
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Feb 24, 2008 14:35:35 GMT
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blimey its hard enough to enforce the regs we have and your suggestionis to make it even more complicated? Gentlemen, I think we may have a member of Parliament on the forum! Them's fightin' words. Seriously though, the whole business of letting people make their own plates and then enforcing the laws as to how they should look is bizarre! That is a good point. If the government are so bothered about spurious plates, they should be manufactured and distributed as part of the road tax system? D
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Feb 24, 2008 15:09:20 GMT
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They're really cracking down on plates at the moment, so it wouldn't suprise me. Might be looking at things like petrol station cameras, etc, as well.
Want to make sure everything can be read properly by auto cameras and the like...
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Last Edit: Feb 24, 2008 15:09:47 GMT by Lewis
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Feb 24, 2008 15:14:39 GMT
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Question: What defines a "non-compliance"?
My registration does not have the usual xxx123x / x123xxx pattern. If I was also running non-UK spec fonts, would it get noticed? By average plod or anpr??
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G
Part of things
Posts: 13
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Feb 24, 2008 16:45:03 GMT
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Oh - and - appart from the Practical Classic thing 10 years ago I've seen nothing particlar in writing about the black number plate being date of manufacture. The notice I have says "date of registration". Some diggiing required perhaps. I remember that Practical classics i should still have it somewere. I also remember the mini owners club having a similar article in the club magazine. Also a friend who was running rover P6s at the time and was part of an owners club for them also saying about an article that said the same he had read from them.
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Feb 24, 2008 16:55:41 GMT
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Best thing would be to phone the contact number, and ask to speak to the person who issued the letter, and ask which vehicle in particular it applies to.
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Feb 24, 2008 23:56:52 GMT
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ive had friends with imports busted for having plates without the bs standard number on them. it has to have these by law, along with the address and postcode of the supplying dealer.
beware, the plates thing is very easy to be prosecuted over.
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@ CRX_IN_SCOTLAND
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misteralz
Posted a lot
I may drive a Volkswagen, but I'm scene tax exempt!
Posts: 2,435
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Read BSAu 145d, go on. The BS mark is law. The supplying dealer details are not.
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I'd ring them up and talk to them if I were you.
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Jaguar S-Type 3.0 SE
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