Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of automatic number plate recognition cameras in operation across (a) England and (b) Wales.

At present UK Law Enforcement Agencies have access to ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) data from 12,076 camera locations in England, Scotland and Wales via the National ANPR Service (NAS).

Further cameras will be used by Local Authorities in the UK use ANPR cameras to enforce traffic rules, manage restricted zones like Low Emission Zones (LEZ), School Streets, and Lorry Controls, monitor traffic flow, and tackle anti-social behaviour, issuing Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) for violations like driving in bus lanes or breaching HGV access times. Many more are used privately by petrol station forecourt and car parking operators.