The DVLA has released a considerable list of 66 plates that will not be available to purchase after determining that they were in poor taste.

Among the combinations that DVLA has prohibited are HU66 NOB and BU66 ER*. Other 66 plates that have been banned include DO66ERS, OR66ASM and DO66ER*. The DVLA bans plates that can potentially be viewed as offensive or have explicit connotations. Occasionally, some plates that provoke complaints slip though the net but the DVLA does have the power to force drivers to hand the registration number back to the agency.

Jake Smith, managing director of Absolute Reg, said, “The DVLA always publishes a list of banned licence plates when a new number is released, although we’re sure that some jokers would like to get their hand on a few of the options that are prohibited. Despite DVLA publishing a substantial list of banned 66 registration plates the new number still leaves plenty of options for those wanting to add a personal touch to their vehicle with a number plate they choose.”

Censors meet every six months to decide on potentially offensive licence plates, the reasons for banning a plate can be based on political, racial and religious concerns.

The list of suppressed combinations from DVLA spans ten pages and many of those named in the document contain combinations spelling out rude words or messages after being deemed unsuitable for Britain’s roads.