Foreign Registered Cars in the UK

I publish below a letter sent to Connexion following their story about the UK police targeting foreign registered cars in the UK. The gist of the issue is that a European Directive requires that people who move from one country to another must register their vehicles within six months of arrival. Prior to that, they may continue to use their original foreign plates. This is fair enough and Mrs L and I registered our two Renaults and BMW motorcycle following our move within the required period (just, in the case of the bike).

It seems that the UK police are being a little over enthusiastic and failing to apply any common sense when they see foreign registered vehicles on UK roads. Here, then, is the letter:

There are occasions when the British over-enthusiastically apply European Union laws [you don’t say… ed]. The directive allowing Vehicles registered in one European country to be driven for up to six months a year, continuous or otherwise, seems to be one of them.

I live in Spain for about seven months of the year and France for the other five. My Spanish-registered car was impounded in March after two short visits to the UK within nine months of each other.

At the start of 2009, a pilot scheme called Operation Andover started in Northamptonshire, with any foreign vehicle seen just twice, more than six months apart, being impounded without warning.

It apparently did not occur to the police that the reason my car had not been seen by the number plate recognition cameras for nine months was because it had returned to the continent.

Because I caused a serious fuss, I managed to regain possession of my vehicle without paying the £420 the police demanded. When I complained, I was met with a barrier of evasion and misinformation, both from the police and the DVLA – and a suggestion from the
Leicestershire Liberal Democrats, who took up my case, that warning notices should be issued before impounding was immediately dismissed.
The implications for expatriates and foreign tourists with limited English is horrendous, especially as, with more than £400to be made on each impounding, this scheme will certainly soon be taken up nationwide.

Indeed, it is possible that someone who visits the UK just once a year, for the same couple of weeks, say in August, could become a victim of this ill-thought-out scheme. Their vehicle could be filmed on August 14 of the first year, then on August 2 of the next year – twice in one year, more than six months apart – and their car could be impounded.

I would urge all expats or French tourists who visit the UK more than once a year to keep their ferry tickets and other evidence with them and to demand that these are examined by any police officer who attempts to take their vehicle.

PETER WEST
Puntous, Hautes-Pyrénées

Now you would think, would you not, that there is an obvious explanation for a foreign registered vehicle being seen twice in a period exceeding six months, as Peter points out in his letter – you know, like oh, say, they are visiting and do so on more than one occasion? Expats are likely to have relatives in the UK and may want to visit several times in any one year, or like me, they work in the UK. Obvious to the moderately intelligent. Oh, no, not for the UK police with their boxes to tick and the assumption of guilt so readily applied; no, we are evading the road fund licence by having our vehicles registered abroad.

That this idea is risible is simply explained. When Mrs L and I registered our three vehicles in France following our arrival here, the average cost was around €300 per vehicle depending on what the manufacturers charged for the certificate of conformity and what the sous prefecture charged for the carte gris. Add to that, the little matter of higher insurance costs, and the idea of using this as a wheeze to avoid UK road tax falls apart. Only a mathematically challenged imbecile with a taste for bureaucracy would think it a good idea.

I travel back to the UK roughly every six weeks for a three week period to work. This is not unusual as more and more people are moving to France and working in the UK. So, instead of recognising the phenomenon and simply asking the question should there be cause for suspicion, the good old UK police take the easy option and try to make £400 into the bargain.

Believe me, should they try it on me “a serious fuss” won’t even come close to describing my reaction.