UK car owners warned they could face hidden fines for parking up on the street

Millions of drivers across the United Kingdom are at major risk of being issued with fines relating to them parking on the street.

But it can be avoided, according to the experts who know what they're talking about.

For many Brits, parking up your motor at the end of the day on the side of the street is the only place available for your car. It comes with a warning, though, and one that could cost you hundreds of pounds.

That's because criminals are targeting these cars in particular by replicating their licence plates. The bogus, replicated plate will then be used on vehicles involved in organised crime so as to avoid being detected by the likes of Automatic Number Plate Recognition [ANPR] cameras.

Now, road safety experts have spoken out about the rise in these instances, given that the person who owns the real plate is left to answer for the crimes that they weren't involved in at any step of the way.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted to Transport for London (TfL) found that in 2023, 16,264 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) were issued to vehicles with cloned plates in the capital city.

Criminals are targeting cars in plain sight (Getty Stock Images)

That was a huge increase of more than 100 percent on the number for 2021, when 7,262 PCNs were issued out across the 12 months.

For those ignorant to cloning number plates, it is where criminals will copy the identity of a person's car and give the impression that another vehicle owns that identity. As a result, the real identity of the vehicle being used by criminals is hidden and cannot be traced as easily.

The average PCN costs £130 and it is a fee that you can face for every fine against the plate, especially if speeding or going through bus lanes.

At the same time, it can be used to sell on vehicles with a fake plate. And those who buy them will have to face the significant financial headache of sorting the situation despite being duped themselves.

Putting your car in a garage is an easy way to protect its ID (Getty Stock Images)

Alice Hempstead from MoneySuperMarket, an insurance specialist, said: "Vehicle security has become one of the greatest concerns for vehicle owners and insurers.

"With increases in thefts, cloning, and part-stealing across the UK, most drivers have seen their insurance premiums increase dramatically in recent years, and it's more important than ever for drivers to take the security of their vehicles seriously."

Hempstead therefore thinks drivers should start to be more proactive in protecting their assets, to make sure criminals can't even try and clone plates in the first place.

Experts have suggested using car covers to protect your vehicle's identity (Getty Stock Images)

This includes keeping your car out of sight on a secure parking site, such as a private drive, or even using a car cover over your motor. The plus side of this is that it'll also protect it from the elements.

"Even doing something as minimal as using a car cover can deter thieves and number-plate cloners, but parking your car in a garage and fitting insurer-approved security devices can protect your vehicle and lower your insurance premiums as well," she said.