The DVLA is making it tougher for people to purchase number plates resembling offensive words or phrases, and has come up with a number of combinations that will be banned from next March, when the 14 plate arrives.

The DVLA’s Propriety Group is given the challenging job of second-guessing how number-letter combinations could be used to create plates that look like colourful verbs or nouns.

Alongside words classically considered poor taste, the DVLA has been keeping tabs on how SMS/social media abbreviations might be used to cause offence to others. The group is on the lookout for attempts such as OM63 WTF, for example.

"The vast majority of registration numbers are made available but we have a responsibility to ensure that the combinations used do not cause offence,” said a DVLA spokesperson.

Words that might cause offence on grounds or race, embarrassment or general “poor taste” are in the sights of the Wales-based UK driving authority. Any terms that may glorify or promote terrorism are also on the banned list.

As one of the UK’s leading car breakdown cover providers, here at startrescue.co.uk we are always keen to find out what topics interest the country’s drivers – and this one has been generating a lot of activity online.

Some believe the DVLA’s Proprietary Group are acting as “thought police” and see the body’s function as a “waste of money”; there appear to be fewer people supporting the activity.

The advent of the 14 plate is a particular worry for the DVLA, since these numbers can be used to represent “IA” – a pair of letters that are most useful for those intent on creating words, as it will form a link between the two sets of letters.