The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has banned personalised number plates linked to Covid-19 due to fears they could cause "offence and embarrassment".
The move to “suppress” registrations of plates such as ‘COV 1D’, ‘COV 11D’ and ‘COV 111D’ has been made due to fears they could offend those who have lost loved ones to the disease.
It comes after a BMW with the plate ‘COVID19’ was spotted at Adelaide Airport in Australia last year prompting outrage.
Combinations which could be interpreted as referring to Covid-19 or the pandemic have been banned.
A spokesperson for the DVLA told the Telegraph: “We suppress any registration number combinations that may cause offence, embarrassment or are in poor taste.
"This includes combinations that could be interpreted as referring to Covid-19.”
The government agency's decision to ban words linked to a health crisis is unique, although combinations of letters and numbers that could be deciphered as swear words or having a sexual or offensive connotation have always been banned since the DVLA began selling private plates in 1989.
Bosses at CarReg.co.uk, which trades in personalised plates, were reportedly told Covid related plates were banned because they “would be insensitive to those who have suffered as a result of the pandemic", according to the Sunday Telegraph.
The news of Covid related plates being banned comes as the DVLA announce sales of plates celebrating the NHS and health care services have increased.
Jason Wilkes, founder and chief executive of CarReg, said: "Number plate buyers bored at home during lockdowns have really caught on to buying unique registrations.
“Backed by a massive government campaign, NHS plates are now collectors’ items and have a real value. The entire number plate reseller market is ablaze.”
Personalised plates can sell for up to £200,000, although the value often changes depending on national trends.
Last year, the number plate 1NHS sold at the height of the pandemic for £120,000 at an online auction, although the buyer pulled out so the plate is due up for auction again.
The number plate ‘WHO5 NHS’ is currently on the market for £11,000, while PAN 11C is available for £5,799, and PPE1 has an asking price of £25,000.
The DVLA said it had seen a 40 per cent rise in the number of personalised registrations bought last year.
