What do people who drive unlicensed cars, who owe fines for traffic offences or who drive off without paying for their fuel, have in common? They all need more petrol. So, says Ian Comyns of south London, they can all be caught by mounting cameras alongside petrol pumps (GB 2365412). As a car drives up, the camera captures an image of its license plate and an online database checks the number for unpaid offences. The petrol pump delivers petrol only if there is no match. Anyone with an offending car can still get petrol if they pay what they owe to the petrol station鈥攗nless the vehicle turns out to be stolen.
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