DRIVERS with illegal number plates will be targeted in a new police operation launched today.

Operation Larch began at 7am this morning and is part of a national crackdown on those who try to avoid being caught by speed cameras.

Gwent officers will be looking for a number of illegal alterations to number plates including the use of tape, screws, and other objects to obscure plates.

They will also be looking at whether alteration of lettering and its spacing, typeface, size and colour comply with registration legislation.

The operation will help the police establish the scale of the problem, and identify any links between illegal number plates and other criminal activity.

Inspector Lee Ford, Roads Policing Unit, said: The aim of the operation is to enforce road vehicle regulations with regard to the misuse and misrepresentation of number plates.

The misrepresentation of a number plate could be for a number of reasons including organised crime groups deliberately misrepresenting index plates in an attempt to confuse enforcement and ANPR cameras.

Operation Larch will continue until Sunday, February 3.