A FERRARI driver was pulled over by Thames Valley Police officers on the motorway this weekend for breaking the rules with his number plate.

Officers stopped the bright red supercar on the M4 when they noticed they couldn't spot its number plate on the front.

When they inspected it, they found a 'very, very small' illegal registration plate that was a fifth of the size it was supposed to be.

The driver was slapped with a £100 fine and must now buy a suitably sized plate.

What does the law say?

The gov.uk website lists a number of conditions that must be met.

The number plates on a vehicle must:

  • be made from a reflective material
  • display black characters on a white background (front plate)
  • display black characters on a yellow background (rear plate)
  • not have a background pattern

Oxford Mail:

The characters on a number plate need to be a certain height and size.

  • Characters must be 79mm tall
  • Characters (except the number 1 or letter I) must be 50mm wide
  • The character stroke (the thickness of the black print) must be 14mm  
  • The space between characters must be 11mm
  • The space between the age identifier and the random letters must be 33mm
  • The margins at the top, bottom and side of the plate must be 11mm
  • Vertical space between the age identifier and the random letters must be 19mm

What do the numbers and letters mean on registration plates?

Oxford Mail:

Oxford Mail: