DVLA bans 523 number plates ahead of September 1 change, including SH76 TTY and GO76 WAR

Over 500 number plate combinations have been blocked from Britain's roads before the new '76' series launches on Tuesday, with a specialist DVLA panel scrubbing registrations containing swear words, racial slurs, sexual references and allusions to war and religion. The '76' plates posed an extra headache for screeners because the number 7 can resemble the letters I, T or A, and 6 can stand in for B or A, multiplying the rude phrases drivers could engineer. Among the 523 banned plates are AS76 FKU, BU76 NOB, NA76 ZZE and BJ76 OOB, alongside more politically sensitive combinations referencing Gaza and Yemen.
Drivers caught using a non-compliant plate risk a fine of up to £1,000, confiscation and an MOT failure.
The DVLA also banned combinations alluding to Russia and Ukraine in last year's plate review.
The new '76' series replaces the '26' plates issued in March and will run until February 2027.
