TRANSPORT officials are reportedly drawing up plans to fit all cars in Britain with a personalised microchip. It means drivers breaking the law can be prosecuted by computer.

The Department for Transport (DfT) is co-ordinating the project which also has involvement from the police and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. The chip inside the car would report a wide range of offences including speeding, road tax evasion and illegal parking.

It is believed new vehicles could have identification chips containing unique driver details embedded in their chassis, while older vehicles could have 'tagged' number plates installed when the car undergoes an MoT test.

The plan has already met opposition from civil liberties groups and some motoring groups. The Sunday Times reported that the existing network of roadside sensors, set up by traffic monitoring companies and the Highways Agency, would require minimal modification to be used for electronic vehicle identification (EVI) tracking.