Motorists are being urged to check their car number plates before setting off on journeys to avoid hefty fines.
The (DVLA) issues every roadworthy vehicle across the UK with a unique number plate which can be traced to a particular driver and address.
These plates should be able to be detected and checked by police officers and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) devices.
However, if a number plate is dirty, ANPR may not be able to detect it - something which breaches UK law. As well as infringing the law, if caught driving with a number plate which is too dirty for ANPR to detect, drivers could be landed with a fine as large as £1,000.
Neil Worth, road safety officer at GEM Motoring Assist, says that it is crucial for motorists to ensure number plates are clear and easy to be read before setting off on each journey, particularly as the muddy winter months approach.
He said: "Although there is no law against having a dirty car, the law is very clear when it comes to keeping your number plates clear; you risk a £1,000 fine if you allow it to become obscured.
“A number plate must be readable and not covered by dirt. This is to ensure a vehicle can be identified as and when required.”
As well as infringing law, having a dirty number plate can also be enough to fail an MOT test in some cases.
The DVLA states: "There is a specific offence under the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 of obscuring or allowing a registration mark to be not easily distinguishable.
"All registration numbers mjts be displayed c;ear;u and correctly on the number plate - this helps gteh police, enforcement agencies and members of the public to correctly identify a vehicle to assist road safety and traffic enforcement."
