Police in Slough are reminding motorists of the risk of having their number plates stolen by thieves.

Vivien Thorpe, crime reduction adviser for Slough at Thames Valley police, said that there had been an increase in such incidents recently.

Stolen licence plates are often used by thieves to dodge paying the congestion charge or to get away with parking illegally, she explained.

"This can lead to a lot of inconvenience for the legitimate owner, who may receive parking tickets and fines for acts they did not commit, and then have to get them cancelled," Ms Thorpe stated.

Such thefts could have significant consequences for car insurance customers if criminals using their number plates are caught speeding.

To avoid being targeted by thieves, Ms Thorpe advised people to park in well-lit areas and to consider getting theft-resistant number plates.

Her warning follows a campaign launched by West Yorkshire police to address the issue.

Last month, the force offered to fix motorists' plates with tamper-proof screws.

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