DVLA bans over 300 potentially offensive number plates

Do these "suppressed" vehicle registration marks cause "upset or offence"?

More than 300 number plates have been banned from use when the 67 vehicle registrations are released next week.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has withheld them because they are deemed potentially offensive.

Among those are MU67 DER, BU67 GER, DO67 GER, BA67 ARD, MU67 GER, HU67 WLY and OR67 SAM. Other "words" like AF67 HAN and NE67 ECT also make the list.

A DVLA spokesman said it had a responsibility to ensure plates do not "cause upset or offence".

In June, the Swansea-based agency admitted that a plate JH11 HAD "slipped through the net".

Cracking the code?

• To certain eyes, 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" - but only if you look really, really hard

Words which look as if they spell the word jihad among the new plates have also been banned, information supplied under the Freedom of Information Act to BBC Wales has shown.

Also on the list are a range of plates that start with the word NO and end with another complete three-letter word (and the 67 is irrelevant), including NO67 DAD, NO67 FUN, NO67 MUM and NO67 SON.

The spokesman said: "The agency applies a clear policy of withholding potentially offensive registration numbers equally to normal issue series and those made available to purchase from our sales team.

"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."