Ooo Stick You

Rude number plates. The DVLA generally scours all of its pending number plates and withdraws those that look like words that may offend. Doesn't matter how little you might think such words may offend in this day and age, they just don't need the headache of complaints, having to withdraw potentially thousands of reg from vehicles on the road and issuing replacement number plates. That means you just WON'T ever get your hands on some reg.

Standard withdrawls from ALL number plate sequences are combinations such as DAM, SEX, WOP, WOG, ASS, FCK, CUM, BUM, SOD, COK and so on. It's quite surprising when you think about it how many rude words you can make out of just three letters :)

On top of these ones you get reg witheld because they have initials used for a specific purpose - MAN, for example is only used on the Isle of Man. You won't find it in use on UK reg.

Occasionally though a rude reg will slip through the DVLA's net. X351 ARO for example seems like a perfectly innocent number plate, right? Yet somebody requested it for auction. Even at the auction few people twigged just what it represented and the sale went through. Can you spot it? Here's a clue - imagine what it'd look like if you saw it in your rear view mirror...