THERE were red faces among the blue lights, when an unmarked North Yorkshire Police vehicle was mistakenly fitted with a new number plate - which clearly identified it as a police vehicle.

The mistake was spotted by officers before the vehicle was sent out on patrol, but could have led to undercover activity being less-than discreet.

This picture was tweeted on Thursday by a member of the Road Policing Group who spotted the gaffe and flagged it up to officials.

He said: "#EpicFail not sure this is the best number plate 2 put on our new unmarked car. Think a visit 2 workshops is required."

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said the plate would be replaced, but the cost of replacing the plate with a less-identifiable one would fall within the force’s budget.

The spokesman also confirmed the error would not cause any extra expense to the tax payer.