B4NN3D... The number plates barred by the DVLA

DEPENDING on your sense of humour, they might raise a titter if you saw them on the road.

But the DVLA has made sure that ‘amusing’ number plates such as BA67 TRD or HU67 WLY will never see the light of day – by banning them before they are even sold.

They are examples of some 300 ‘potentially offensive’ plates that the DVLA will not allow on the road when the latest ‘67’ registrations become available next week.

Among others that will not be released are MU67 GED, ST67 BBD, and OR67 SAM. Some ‘words’ like AF67 HAN and NE67 ECT also make the list. This is because to certain active imaginations, or on some deliberately-designed plates, a 6 can look like a ‘G’ or an ‘S’. A 7 can be read as a ‘T’ or even an ‘L’. And when put together, the number 67 can be read by some as an ‘R’.

Also on the list are a range of plates that start with the word NO and end with another complete three-letter word, including NO67 DAD, NO67 FUN, NO67 MUM and NO67 SON.

The DVLA holds an exhaustive list of potentially naughty, nasty and offensive number plates, which it updates annually.

Banned registrations from previous years include BO04 ZZY, DR11 GG and PO11 CE. In June, the number plate JH11 HAD was spotted in Newport, South Wales, and reported to authorities. #

It was subsequently withdrawn, and the DVLA said the plate ‘slipped through the net’.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the BBC revealed that combinations such as JE** HAD and *J11 HAD were also banned.

The DVLA said that it has a responsibility make sure the combination used on registration numbers ‘ does not cause upset or offence’.

It continued: ‘Such numbers are withheld if they are likely to cause offence or embarrassment to the general population in this country on the grounds of political, racial and religious sensitivities or simply because they are in poor taste when displayed correctly on a number plate.’

A DVLA spokesman said: ‘We try to identify all combinations that may cause offence, and on the rare occasion where potentially offensive numbers slip through the net, steps are taken to withdraw the number.’

‘Cause offence or embarrassment’