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National Numbers Blog

Personalised Number Plates Really Stand Out!

December 17, 2009
Posted in Number Plate News — Written by National Numbers

You may have heard the story in the news about the bank robbers who were identified by their personalised number plate.

The thieves raided a Halifax branch and made off with over £100,000 after using heavy metal drain covers to smash their way into the branch in Roath, Cardiff.

The Police later caught up with the criminals after witnesses spotted the getaway car’s personalised registration – ‘J4 MES’. The registration helped the Police to identify the vehicle, and the registered keeper of the BMW car, James Snell.

BMW car

Daniel Williams, prosecuting, said:

“A witness saw a passenger lean out, lift a drain cover from the road and the car drove off. Lee Norville, who works for the council’s highways department, later identified one of the two covers used to smash the windows at a branch of Halifax as coming from that drain. It was the distinctiveness of the car which contributed to the robbers’ undoing.”

As a result, Snell and his accomplices were jailed for a total of 38 years.

You would have thought that the gang would have changed the number plates on the car to something less memorable!

The case goes to show that personalised number plates really do stand out and stick in the minds of those who see them!

If you are looking for a memorable personalised registration for your own car, why not try a number plate search on our web site? You are sure to find something to set you apart from other vehicles on the road – just don’t use them to do anything illegal, OK?!


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Find Your Perfect 10 Number Plate!

December 14, 2009
Posted in DVLA,Number Plate News — Written by National Numbers

Our number plate customers’ are in for a treat – this week we purchased some of the 3,700 new 10-series number plates sold by the DVLA, so be sure to check out the new 10 series number plates on our web site.

There really is something for everybody in this release! We bought some fantastic combinations – in fact, this was our most successful new release ever. Meanwhile, over at DVLA, sales of the new 10-series number plates reached £2million on the first day of sale!

For the Ladies
Girls’ have plenty of options, with registrations such as ME10 DEY (Melody) and JU10 DTH (Judith); DO10 THY (Dorothy), FF10 NNA (Fiona), YV10 NNE (Yvonne); and Sue number plates, such as PO10 SUE and SO10 SUE.

Reg for Boys
Some for the boys are Max numbers such as ND10 MAX and PJ10 MAX; AA10 BAL (Iqbal), BR10 ANJ and BR10 ANR (Brian), AB10 MAR (Omar), GE10 RGE (George), OW10 WEN (Owen), and LL10 NEL (Lionel).

Number Plates for Males and Females
There are personalised registrations suitable for both boys and girls, such as BL10 NDE (Blonde), HE10 SAM, ME10 SAM, and OO10 SAM (Sam).

Surname Number Plates
And of course various number plates for surnames, such as DN10 BLE, EN10 BLE, and JN10 BLE (Noble).

Number Plates for Vehicle Brands
BMW car owners will be pleased with the numerous options for their coveted car, with new BMW-style number plates such as AV10 BMW, GS10 BMW and PW10 BMW becoming available for the first time.

Clio owners will like these tidy Renault Clio number plates: CL10 CAR, CL10 HOT and CL10 FAN.

The VW Polo gets a look in too, with registrations perfect for this hot hatchback: PO10 ACE, PO10 BOY, and PO10 CAR.

Fleet Combinations
There are also some interesting number plates for fleet vehicles, or vehicles used for business, such as GR10 CER (Grocer), UN10 CKD and UN10 CKS (perhaps for a Locksmith?), and BR10 KER (Broker).

PA10 OUT and SO10 OUT also have interesting connotations.

Just for Fun!
A fantastic pair of number plates for speed demons are VE10 CTY (looks like Velocity), and SM10 KED (Smoked).

And, my personal favourite (Transformers fans will love this one!) – AU10 BOT!

This small selection by no means does justice to the almost infinite possibilities for the new 10-series personalised registrations.

Why not try a 10-series number plate search on our web site to find your perfect registration? Or call us today on 01642 36 37 38 and let us help you find your perfect 10!


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Number Plates for the Lotus Evora

December 7, 2009
Posted in Cars,Number Plate News — Written by National Numbers

The Lotus Evora was launched on 22 July 2008 at the British International Motor Show. The supercar marks a turning point for Lotus, because the Evora is based on a new vehicle platform – both the Exige and the Europa S were based on the previous Elite platform. Another two vehicles based on the Evora platform will become available by 2011.

The Evora is available as a 2+2 as well as a two-seater. The car uses a 3.5-litre Toyota V6 engine, which, when coupled with Lotus’s engine management system, produces 280bhp. Its six-speed gearbox and kerb weight of less than 1400kg mean that it can reach a top speed over 170mph and 0-60 mph in approximately five seconds.

So popular is the new car that Lotus and Sony have created a virtual version of the car for the computer game Gran Turismo 5! The car features an interior more spacious than its predecessors’ to allow taller drivers to fit inside, perhaps at the behest of Lotus’s CEO, Mike Kimberley, who at 6ft 5″ tall could use the extra space! You might disagree on the car’s level of comfort, however, once you see the video of the Lotus Evora being test-driven in this clip from Fifth Gear:

What special car like the Lotus Evora would be complete without equally special personalised registration? If you’re looking for some number plates for a Lotus Evora, you couldn’t go far wrong with EVO 2A, the number two in this registration looks just like an ‘R’.

Or search our web site for number plates 24 hours a day for more ideas.


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The Significance of 10

November 4, 2009
Posted in Number Plate News — Written by National Numbers

We all know that 10 is an important number. Gordon Brown lives at 10 Downing Street, 10 was the number of violin sonatas composed by Ludwig van Beethoven, and when playing many games, 10 is the most desirable number to have attained – think about ten-pin bowling; and Blackjack, where the Ten is worth 10 points.

And the number 10 is important for number plate registrations, with a new sequence of 10 and 60 number plates being released for 2010.

There has been some confusion over what will happen to number plate formats in 2010, but the new sequence is easily explained. From 2010, numbering includes the year identifier 10 (for vehicles registered in March), or 60 (September), with the second digit increasing by 1 for each year.

The pattern for the next five years is as follows:

  • 2010: 10 and 60 (NE10 NUM and NE60 NUM)
  • 2011: 11 and 61 (NE11 NUM and NE61 NUM)
  • 2012: 12 and 62 (NE12 NUM and NE62 NUM)
  • 2013: 13 and 63 (NE13 NUM and NE63 NUM)
  • 2014: 14 and 64 (NE14 NUM and NE64 NUM)

Your vehicle must have been registered on or after 2010 to use the 10 and 60 plates. However you can buy a registration now to conveniently transfer to a vehicle at a later date.

There are so many possibilities for new combinations with the 10 series – especially for number plate names. Take a look at these terrific 10 number plate combinations:

Surnames: First names:
MR10 DGE – Mr Lodge MS10 REN – Lauren
MS10 GAN – Ms Logan MS10 RNA – Lorna
MR10 MAS – Mr Lomas MR10 RNE – Lorne
MS10 MAX – Ms Lomax MS10 TTA – Lotta
MR10 PEZ – Mr Lopez MS10 VLY – Lovely

This is a small representative sample of what is available. So if we can help in any way please call us on 01642 36 37 38 or search our web site for number plates 24 hours a day.


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New Office for National Numbers

October 27, 2009
Posted in DVLA,Number Plate News — Written by National Numbers

The news from National Numbers Headquarters is that we’ve now finished moving into our fantastic new office! As far as our postal address is concerned, we haven’t moved, as our address is the same (see below for details) – however we have relocated to lovely new office space within the same building.

In case you were wondering, the office still has the same beautiful panoramic view of the largest petrochemical complex in Europe. With the long and dark nights drawing in, this becomes all the more breathtaking with its distinct orange glow and twinkling lights from the gantries and staircases of the petrochemical works. Don’t believe me? Check out the photos from Flickr in this photostream.

From the inside, the new office is a spacious and comfortable place for National Numbers dedicated team to buy and sell number plates. The office has lots of room for our admin staff, who diligently take the load off our customers’ by dealing with the DVLA paperwork we receive from them on a daily basis.

Here are some photographs of the team at work:

National Numbers new office

National Numbers new office

Our address:

National Numbers House,
The Grange,
Belasis Avenue,
Billingham,
Cleveland,
TS23 1LG

Feel free to call us on 01642 36 37 38 and we’ll be happy to discuss your requirements for your ideal personalised number plate.


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Unfortunate Number Plate Causes Parking Fines

October 21, 2009
Posted in DVLA,Number Plate News — Written by National Numbers

An unfortunate US driver has received thousands of pounds worth of parking fines – solely on account of his personalised registration.

The tickets were wrongly issued to Scottie Roberson, 38, who chose the number plate to reflect his nickname: “Racer X”, and his favourite number, seven. However because of administrative errors Roberson’s registration, ‘XXXXXXX’, was confused with every unrecognised vehicle on police records!

The errors were caused by traffic wardens in Birmingham, Alabama. It seems that the wardens had been entering seven letter Xs into the forms they wrote when issuing parking tickets to cars without number plates.

Luckily for Roberson, the fines are in the process of being dropped. And to ensure no such mishap occurs again, officials are looking into a new ticketing system for cars without number plates.

This seems to be a one-off case; also, it’s unlikely to happen in the UK, where the DVLA‘s number plate registration system ensures that number plates follow a specific pattern. You can find more information on this system from National Numbers’ web site in our article Number Plate Formats Explained.

And if you’re convinced this expensive error wouldn’t happen in the UK, why not take a look at some of our ‘XXX’ number plates?


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DVLA Database Used for Personalised Oil Suggestions

September 22, 2009
Posted in DVLA,Number Plate News — Written by National Numbers

Personalised oil suggestion based on number plateA new method to push sales of oil, using roadside cameras, and the DVLA’s vehicle and registration database, has been instigated by Castrol.

The controversial technology scans driver’s number plates and displays the right oil for their particular make and model of vehicle at five pilot sites in London.

Castrol say “this particular initiative will be the first time in the UK that personalised messages have been communicated on advertising billboards”. They state that driver privacy is protected because the registration number is not stored.

Despite the novel approach and potentially helpful suggestions, the technique has caused backlash over concerns for drivers’ concentration when reading the signs and the use of data that one would assume should be private, from the DVLA’s database.

The five trial sites are Stamford Street in Blackfriars, Vauxhall Cross in Lambeth, Fulham Palace Road in Hammersmith, the Chiswick roundabout in Hounslow and Warwick Road in Kensington and Chelsea. The pilot will last two weeks from 21 September.

If you fancy giving the service a try, it might be time to spruce up your number plate before it gets displayed in lights! Search our number plate database for great alternatives to your standard registration number.


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Senior BNP Member Displays Nazi Number Plate

August 10, 2009
Posted in Number Plate News — Written by National Numbers

An exclusive Mirror article today revealed Julian Leppert, senior BNP member and councillor for Hainault, East London, has a personalised number plate that reads “Nazi” – NA51 ZCY.

Julian Leppert and his Nazi Number Plate

Apparently, opposing political figures are demanding that the number plate should be removed from the councillor’s vehicle, a black Ford Focus.

Opposition councillor Veronica Cole said: “When I first saw the number plate on his car I couldn’t believe my eyes. It is sickening and appalling”.

According to the report, Leppert denied choosing the personalised registration deliberately.


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Michael Jackson Number Plate Tribute

July 21, 2009
Posted in Famous Cars,Media,Number Plate News — Written by National Numbers

Michael Jackson fan Thomas Slater with number plate MJ09 KOPDoting Michael Jackson fan Thomas Slater has pledged an eternal tribute to his favourite pop star – by purchasing a very special number plate in his name.

The personalised registration – MJ09 KOP – pays homage to the undisputed King of Pop, and was snapped up by the lifelong devotee immediately following Michael Jackson’s death, using his savings from a part-time job at his local Sainsbury’s.

Thomas said:

“I was absolutely distraught when I heard the news about Michael dying. I’ve been an avid fan since I was six, and like all true fans I just wanted to pay tribute to the King of Pop.”

What better way to show your support for someone? National Numbers initial number plates and name number plates are a great way to show you care. Or try our Number Plates Search for more registration ideas.


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1 O Becomes Third Highest Selling Registration!

February 1, 2009
Posted in Auctions,Number Plate News — Written by National Numbers

Friday’s auction for registration 1 O resulted in the third highest DVLA auction sale of a number plate – the registration sold for an astonishing £210,424!

Thursday’s auction held at Whittlebury Hall hotel in Northamptonshire saw the sale of 1 HRH, which went for princely £113,815.

Despite speculation that an Arabian royal would buy the registration, it was bought by a Berkshire-based businessman who was said to have been “determined to keep it in British hands”.


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