TFL Issue Incorrect fines over car number plate ULEZ

Unjust Ulez Fines Leave Motorists Frustrated

Two motorists have been wrongly fined for driving in London's Ultra-Low Emission Zone (Ulez) after their car registration plates were cloned. Despite providing evidence that their vehicles were not in the capital at the time of the alleged offenses, they have been forced to battle with Transport for London (TfL) to get the fines overturned.

C and FC from London received parking and speeding fines, which they promptly contested. However, their auto-pay account with TfL had already been debited by £400 in Ulez penalties. After canceling auto-pay, they were further harassed with a £200 demand from debt collectors. TfL initially refused to accept that the offending car was not theirs, despite clear evidence to the contrary.

AW from Northampton found herself in a similar situation. She received multiple Ulez fines even though she had never driven to London. Photos attached to the fines showed a number plate one digit different to her own. Despite repeated appeals, the fines kept coming, leading her to fear that the situation would never be resolved.

TfL admitted that it had failed to spot a "bolt" in the cloned number plate, causing a D to be mistaken for a B. The agency apologized and placed a marker on the account to prevent further errors. It also finally accepted that C and FC were not liable for the fines and apologized for the distress caused, promising a "full" refund.

These cases highlight the need for TfL to improve its processes for verifying registration plates and issuing fines. The current system is clearly flawed and is causing unnecessary stress and inconvenience for motorists.

So what are the top selling number plates in the UK? The DVLA has been selling private plates to UK motorists since 1989. During this time, there have been a number of records set, but most of the top 10 have been bought in the past 15 years. Here’s what currently makes the list:

25 0 – A Ferrari dealer bought this for £518k in 2014. It is now on a £10 million Ferrari 250 SWB.
F 1 – A businessman, Afzal Khan, bought this for £440k in 2008 and put it on his McLaren-Mercedes SLR.
S 1 – This was bought in 2008 for £404k by an anonymous buyer.
1 D – Businessman Nabil Bishara bought this plate in 2009 (before One Direction was formed, so it is not a reference to the band) for £352k.
M 1 – Businessman Mike McCoomb bought this number plate in 2006 for £331k, apparently for his son, who was 10 at the time.
VIP 1 – Chelsea owner and businessman Roman Abramovich bought this plate for £285k in 2006.
51 NGH – This number plate, which looks like the surname Singh, was sold in 2006 for £254k.
1 RH – Businessman Robert Haverson bought this in 2006 for £247k.
K1 NGS – This reg plate, which looks like the word “kings”, was bought anonymously in 1993 for £231k.
1 0 – This very simple but striking number plate was bought anonymously in 2009 for £170k.

These are large amounts of money, but they are all small compared to the top-selling number plates found in other parts of the world. Abu Dhabi, in the UAE, has the record for the most expensive number plate ever sold. That number plate was a simple “1”. It was bought in 2008 by businessman Saeed Abdul Ghaffar Khouri for £7.25 million.

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