Officers are warning motorists that if they use illegal number plates they could face fines of up to £1,000.

Officers will be issuing on-the-spot fines to any driver caught displaying misrepresented vehicle registration plates.

Plates displaying numbers and letters that have been altered, re-arranged, obscured or are difficult to read are illegal as they stop the vehicle being readily identified.

Starting from Monday 7 November, officers from the Central Motorway Patrol Group will begin a week long enforcement campaign across the region’s roads and motorways to target motorists who flout the law. A spokesperson said:

"We would like to remind all motorists that it is an offence to misrepresent the numbers and letters on a number plate to form names or words, or in a way that makes it difficult to read the registration number.

"For example, you should not use fixing bolts to change any of the letters or numbers or use any font that is not standard DVLA approved or use offensive wording or use a registration plate to make your vehicle appear younger than it actually is.

"Anyone with a number plate that does not display the registration number correctly could be fined up to £1000".

On the spot fines can be issued by police to drivers found committing offences in relation to number plates. In some cases, the registration number may be permanently withdrawn by the DVLA. If you have misrepresented a vehicle registration number and it is permanently withdrawn, you would not get back any money that you have paid for the registration number, or any other costs you have to pay.

More information about number plate requirements can be found on leaflet INF 104 available at https://www.gov.uk/displaying-number-plates/rules-number-plates.