December 2025
December is magical – the Christmas trees on the village green, the steam trains doing Santa Specials, and half the cars in the Square decorated with fairy lights and reindeer antlers. But after Dorset Police stopped a car completely wrapped in Christmas lights last week, we thought we’d check the rules to see where the line is drawn.
The rules are simple:
- Nothing must obscure your number plate, lights, indicators or reflectors.
- No red lights at the front or white at the rear.
- No flashing blue (that’s emergency services only).
- Anything hanging inside mustn’t obstruct your view or distract you.
Battery-powered fairy lights stuck to the roof or boot lid with magnets are usually fine if they’re secure and don’t dazzle anyone. The big LED “Underglow” kits that make your car look like Blackpool Illuminations? Probably not – and they’ll fail the MOT in January anyway.
So go ahead and spread some cheer, but keep it safe and legal.
