At least 10,000 cars on the UK's roads have cloned number plates, according to an industry organisation.

Figures from the AA show one in 250 vehicles entering London's congestion charge zone are thought to have false plates allowing thieves to avoid paying the £8 charge.

Criminals are also using cloned plates to dodge speed cameras and drive away from petrol stations without paying - more than £14 million is lost in petrol station drive-offs each year, mostly from cars with illegal plates.

Legal replacement plates can be bought from dealers and part suppliers with a licence, car registration document and proof of address and identity, but licence plates in different designs can be bought online or over the phone for a small price.

"The problem with replica plates is that they only become illegal when criminals use them on a car. Victims may not realise for some time that their number plate has been cloned," Owen Roberts of insurers Creating Profitable Partnerships told This is Money.

"This is a version of identity theft and the consequences can be even more severe than card fraud, leading in some cases to court action."