CIVIL servants are refusing to sanction the release of personalised car registration plates with a combination of numbers and letters that could read Islam.

The stance follows fears that use of a form of the number or letters 15 LAM could cause offence.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) website does not currently list the number plate MY15 LAM (my Islam) as available for sale.

The discovery was made by former policeman George Thomson, from Fife, who said a friend who is of Islamic faith had tried to purchase it from the government agency.

The private investigator said: "He tried a number of different combinations before 15 LAM and kept getting the same message.

"I went on the site and tried as well, and it soon because clear that it was impossible to buy any plate with 15 LAM on it. I guessed there might be concerns about people using the plates to be offensive."

Mr Thomson said he did not think there would be any problem with MY15 LAM.

A DVLA spokesman said it regularly reviews the appropriateness of registration numbers "as society changes" adding that they may be withheld "on the grounds of political, racial and religious sensitivities."