Met Police say they can’t act on hit-and run driver due to cloned plates

A road.cc reader who obtained dashcam footage of an incident in which he was left with cuts and bruises after he was knocked off his bike in South West London by a hit and run driver has been told by police that they cannot take action against the motorist because the vehicle involved had cloned registration plates.

The cyclist, Phil, told us: “I was knocked off my bike while commuting home on 12 August, on King’s Road where it crosses Beaufort Street, heading westbound.

“There are two lanes for westbound traffic, the left is for left turn and straight ahead, the right is straight ahead only.

“I was in the left hand lane, heading straight over with a green light and a clear road ahead. As I approached the junction the car which was in the right lane suddenly indicated left as he began to move but rather than turning left, he stopped diagonally across the left hand lane immediately in front of me leaving me no time to react and I went straight into the side of the car, smashing the wing mirror with my arm and going over the bonnet onto my side in the road.

“The driver then turned and fled the scene. The driver in the white van behind me followed the car and took the photo of the number plate then came back to see me.

“The video is from a driver who was in eastbound traffic, I can be seen approaching on the right side of the screen.”

Phil told road.cc that he had decided to submit the footage to us “the police have come back saying that they have come to the conclusion that the number plates have been cloned and therefore aren't pursuing it any further.

“It seems all you need to do is use someone else's registration plate and you can go around freely running people over,” he added.

“Perhaps with some media attention, they may look into it further.”