Using false plates to avoid Ulez / what offence?

[rallycross]

Question - what would the offence be for using false plates to avoid london ulez ? And what would the probable penalty be? Fine or loss of licence?

On a transit type van ( a near neighbour is doing this on a regular basis and brazenly admits to doing it with no problems so far ).

The plate he changes to when going into central london is from a 2017 van the same model and colour as his 2010 van.

[scorcher]

It would arouse my suspicions as they are two completely different shape vans but as far as the cameras are concerned I doubt it will make much difference.

[911hope]

rallycross said:

Question - what would the offence be for using false plates to avoid london ulez ? And what would the probable penalty be? Fine or loss of licence?

On a transit type van ( a near neighbour is doing this on a regular basis and brazenly admits to doing it with no problems so far ).

The plate he changes to when going into central london is from a 2017 van the same model and colour as his 2010 van.

Using false plates may be a criminal offence.

If his fine gets directed to someone else, it could be fraud.

[911hope]

rallycross said:

Question - what would the offence be for using false plates to avoid london ulez ? And what would the probable penalty be? Fine or loss of licence?

On a transit type van ( a near neighbour is doing this on a regular basis and brazenly admits to doing it with no problems so far ).

The plate he changes to when going into central london is from a 2017 van the same model and colour as his 2010 van.

I hope he gets caught, given that he is framing someone else.

[Old Merc]

rallycross said:

Question - what would the offence be for using false plates to avoid london ulez ? And what would the probable penalty be? Fine or loss of licence?

On a transit type van ( a near neighbour is doing this on a regular basis and brazenly admits to doing it with no problems so far ).

The plate he changes to when going into central london is from a 2017 van the same model and colour as his 2010 van.

Best way to find out is to report him to the police.

[captain.scarlet]

I'm trying to establish which van looked exactly the same in 2017 as it did in 2010 and probably was not facelifted.

Surely it would be a giveaway in that you can't make an older vehicle look newer even with private number plates (e.g. 17 reg on a 2010 vehicle), but you can put private number plates on a vehicle that can make the vehicle 'older' than it actually is (e.g. 02 reg or 1997 R reg on a 2022 vehicle).

Unless, speculating here, an older vehicle has had its bodywork altered, repaired etc and newer/facelifted panels and so on have replaced the original ones despite the vehicle being an older or pre-facelift model.

[rallycross]

Old Merc said:

Best way to find out is to report him to the police.

Would they do anything? it’s very low level crime and if it’s parked up how could they prove it was to avoid paying ulez? He’d just deny it.

[ReverendCounter]

Old Merc said:

Best way to find out is to report him to the police.

If OP is the only person that this van driver told of the plate swap, could be a bad move.

[Shuff4]

This invalidates insurance also, as he isn’t insured on this reg.

There’s more to it than just avoiding the Ulez.

[Scrump]

captain.scarlet said:

I'm trying to establish which van looked exactly the same in 2017 as it did in 2010 and probably was not facelifted.

Surely it would be a giveaway in that you can't make an older vehicle look newer even with private number plates (e.g. 17 reg on a 2010 vehicle), but you can put private number plates on a vehicle that can make the vehicle 'older' than it actually is (e.g. 02 reg or 1997 R reg on a 2022 vehicle).

Unless, speculating here, an older vehicle has had its bodywork altered, repaired etc and newer/facelifted panels and so on have replaced the original ones despite the vehicle being an older or pre-facelift model.

I don’t think the vans have to have the same bodywork, ULEZ cameras don’t check the body shape matches and unlikely the police are going to notice. You are over thinking it.
You would have to be real van nerd to spot the differences on the road between these 2010 and 2017 vans.

[rallycross]

ReverendCounter said:

If OP is the only person that this van driver told of the plate swap, could be a bad move.

Common knowledge in the local pub.
He’s not shy about telling people!

[Countdown]

Why use it only for ULEZ? Why not park on DYLs, private car parks, fill up with fuel and drive off?

He sounds like a scrote. Anyway sentencing guidelines below


https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/offences/magi...

[Panamax]

rallycross said:

Question - what would the offence be for using false plates to avoid london ulez ?

Section 44 Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994

Forgery and fraud.

(1)A person is guilty of an offence if he forges, fraudulently alters, fraudulently uses, fraudulently lends or fraudulently allows to be used by another person.....
(d)a registration mark,
(e)a registration document, and
(f)a trade plate (including a replacement trade plate).

(3)A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable—
(a)on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum (I think £5,000), and
(b)on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to a fine or both.

[Teddy Lop]

From my observations this kind of low level subverting the system British law enforcement seem to take as a personal smite, and very far from lenient when sentencing.

[SteveKTMer]

Apart from the above, there's some poor chap being threatened with a summons if he doesn't pay a series of fines, that he knows are nothing to do with him. That alone is worth speaking to plod about. I'd bet he's daft enough to keep the plates in the van.

[CoolHands]

He may not be doing it, some people just chat st

[rallycross]

SteveKTMer said:

Apart from the above, there's some poor chap being threatened with a summons if he doesn't pay a series of fines, that he knows are nothing to do with him. That alone is worth speaking to plod about. I'd bet he's daft enough to keep the plates in the van.

Don’t know but the other van may be on a subscription to ulez already so not getting tickets.

[Geekman]

911hope said:

rallycross said:

Question - what would the offence be for using false plates to avoid london ulez ? And what would the probable penalty be? Fine or loss of licence?

On a transit type van ( a near neighbour is doing this on a regular basis and brazenly admits to doing it with no problems so far ).

The plate he changes to when going into central london is from a 2017 van the same model and colour as his 2010 van.

Using false plates may be a criminal offence.

If his fine gets directed to someone else, it could be fraud.

There won't be any fines because a 2017 van is ULEZ compliant, therefore the real owner of the 2017 van may never find out. The problem will occur if the OP's neighbour happens to accidentally trigger a bus lane / parking enforcement camera which is incredibly easy to do in London. In that case, the real owner of the 2017 van will receive a ticket and almost certainly notify the police that his plate has been cloned

[rallycross]

CoolHands said:

He may not be doing it, some people just chat st

Strange thing to say, it’s a genuine question and a real thing (passed him today and recognised the van but was on new plates.

[Teddy Lop]

SteveKTMer said:

Apart from the above, there's some poor chap being threatened with a summons if he doesn't pay a series of fines, that he knows are nothing to do with him. That alone is worth speaking to plod about. I'd bet he's daft enough to keep the plates in the van.

I'm guessing the vehicle being cloned is compliant so no-ones recieving fines, or there'd already be a marker on the reg.

Not to say you can't unknowingly pick up penalty-fines for a sizeable range of other "offences" though - many London councils are very big on this and rely on it to make considerable profits/prop up revenue. Unless you're changing the clone plates on a regular basis I'd figure on being caught. Bear in mind too the police in London can tap the plate you're running into the spy cam database and know exactly where you are and where you've been, it's not exactly low profile...