Student has car impounded days after splashing out on personalised plates – even though they were registered and insured
A STUDENT who splashed out on personalised number plates has been fined and had his car impounded despite not doing anything wrong.
The man spent £480 on a pair of custom plates for his Seat Ibiza Cupra after graduating from university.
Before getting behind the wheel, the graduate checked with the DVLA that the plates were registered and with his insurer - who both assured him he was ready to drive.
He went for a spin in his car with his new registration plate but was suddenly pulled over by four police cars.
Despite having all the correct documents, details of his new registration had not been updated on the police database which meant officers thought they were fake and he was driving uninsured.
He was then slapped with six points on his licence and hit with a £300 fine for having no insurance, as well as having his car impounded.
The driver said: "At first I wasn’t worried, as I knew I had everything insured and everything was legitimate.
"Apparently my plate doesn’t exist.
"I was completely devastated, it was a total nightmare.
"I’ve been left with points on my licence over an admin error."
He was later told his motor would be scrapped if the car was kept at a local police station for seven days.
After spending the next day proclaiming his innocence, he was given the keys back to his motor and forced to pay a £175 bill.
According to his insurer, it can take up to seven days for the police database to update its records.
A spokeswoman for the company said their client "contacted us on October 13 to amend the registration for his insured vehicle.
"We immediately updated [his] records and sent the customer an email confirming the change, as well as updating his online portal with the required Certificate of Insurance.
"The Motor Insurers Database was also notified, but it can take up to seven working days for the MID to update their records with this new information and we have no control over this process."
A spokesman for the West Midlands Police said: "The car was seized for having no insurance after a number plate on the vehicle was not registered on police systems at the time the driver was stopped.
"This was done lawfully and in accordance with S165 (a) Road Traffic Act 1988."