A week-long police blitz on illegal number plates has caught 79 people breaking the law in Gwent.

Operation Larch, part of a national crackdown, was instigated following concern at the growing use of unlawful registration plates by motorists which also reduce the effectiveness of enforcement cameras.

During the operation:

79 offences were detected

49 fixed penalty notices issued (30) for misrepresentation of a number plate

27 Vehicle Defect Rectification notices issued

3 verbal warnings were given

27 letters were also sent to registered keepers of vehicles unattended with misrepresented number plates.

One of the more frequent offences identified was altering the spacing between letters and adding bolts to a plate in an attempt to create a name or word. There were also a number of occasions where the wrong font had been used.

Inspector Lee Ford, Roads Policing Unit, Gwent Police said:
"This latest operation demonstrates that there is a problem with the misrepresentation of number plates on our roads.

"Illegal plates such as this, where the lettering and spacing has been altered and bolts added, often mean that enforcement and ANPR cameras are unable to identify the registration. This is something organised crime groups will deliberately do and use to their advantage so really this is part of a bigger problem and reinforces the importance of carrying out such operations in the future."

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