James Bond number plate 007 goes on sale

A number of new Guernsey car number plates with the prefixes 0 and 00, including 007, will be sold at auction.

The Environment Department said it had considered a number of options before introducing any new vehicle registration marks.

It said introducing letters would destroy number only - a "unique aspect of Guernsey life".

Auctioneer Clive Maides said the sale of all the new numbers would probably earn the island about £1m.

The most interest is expected to come for the number 007, made famous by Ian Flemings' fictional spy James Bond.

Legal issues

The department said it would release the new marks in a non sequential order for auction over several years.

In a statement it said: "Introducing the new plates involved an examination of the legal issues as well as consideration of the impact extending the registration marks would have on existing marks.

"The vehicle registration database software has also had to be amended to bring 0 and 00 prefix numbers into the stock of numbers.

"Registration marks containing the digit one, two - and to a lesser extent three - have a special status in Guernsey and hence the decision has been taken not to issue marks 01, 001, 02, 002, 03 or 003."

The numbers one and two are used by the island's bailiff and lieutenant governor.

Only those with a car registered in the island can purchase registration marks.