Motorists could be caught out and slapped with heavy fines for breaking a DVLA number plate rule that many are unaware of. 

Adding a trailer to the back of a vehicle may appear harmless and a great way to transport items. 

Trailers could be crucial when conducting a spring clean with homeowners and tenants able to fill them up and drive to a local tip.

However, Graham Conway, managing director of leading vehicle leasing firm Select Car Leasing, stressed failing to install a number plate on the trailer could backfire. 

It’s because trailers must have number plates installed at all times when on a UK road to avoid falling foul of current rules.

Graham said: “A spring clean gives us the chance to get rid of items that no longer serve a useful purpose and are simply taking up space at home.

“However, transporting unwanted junk to the local tip could land motorists in trouble if they don’t know that they are obliged to display the correct number plate at the rear of a trailer.

“The law in this country states a trailer must display the same number plate as the vehicle it is attached to, and some people might not realise this or might even choose to ignore it.

“That means that while getting rid of junk might be a good thing for your home, it could be a bad thing for your wallet if you get hit by a £1,000 fine.”

Number plates on the back of trailers are crucial as they ensure vehicles can be quickly identified by law enforcement.

Having number plates but not meeting the current regulations could also be a major problem. 

According to Select Car Leasing, obscured plates due to dirt or illegal modifications that impact visibility are also a concern.

Front number plates must also look correct with black solid lettering on a white background only allowed at the front of vehicles.

Meanwhile, rear number plates must have the same black lettering on a yellow background to be considered to be road legal. 

Failing to meet the correct guidelines can have a major impact on road users with motorists set to be issued a whopping £1,000 fine. 

In some situations, motorists with incorrectly fitted number plates could also fail an MOT test which would leave road users effectively banned from the road.