Just recently a friend of mine was stopped by the Police and fined on the spot for not having ” a registration plated affixed” to his 3500kg trailer, even though he did! However, his home made number plate was not deemed to be suitable as it did not comply with UK legislation.

Number plates have to be designed in such a way that they are reflective, use a particular font (Charles Wright) which is correctly spaced and display the unique number of the Company that supplied the plate. Also, if you want a badge on your number plate, the only one that is legal is the flag of the EU.

This was all news to my friend and although he felt hard done by and considered contesting the fine, he had to admit that his ignorance was not a defence in law and had to accept his fine. Luckily, this particular sanction does not incur any points on your licence.

So the lesson here, it’s probably a good idea that if you tow anything (including a small 750kg trailer or caravan) it has to display a legal number plate. More information on number plates and replacement number plates.