A Welsh business man from Oxford has invested £34,400 to purchase the number plate WEL 5H at a DVLA Personalised Registrations auction held at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, South Wales.

The business man, who wishes to remain anonymous, says he made the purchase to celebrate Wales’ Grand Slam rugby success and he intends to display the number proudly on his new Mercedes CL 500 car.

WEL 5H was the first lot in a three day auction of 1500 distinctive registrations and according to Damian Lawson, marketing manager for DVLA Personalised Registrations, “the plate sold for three times the expected value. The atmosphere in the auction hall was electric. We received many bids by post, on the internet and by phone as well as attracting a large crowd in the hall itself.

“And we had a nice little surprise for the lucky bidder. Joe Calzaghe helped us to promote our Welsh auction and kindly signed a number plate which we will be sending to the customer. Hopefully, Joe will give him another reason to be proud of his country this weekend.”

DVLA Personalised Registrations hold six auctions of their most distinctive registrations each year at prestigious locations around Britain. Additionally, they offer a choice of more than 30 million registrations through their telesales scheme at fully inclusive prices starting from £250. Full details of all registrations available can be found at dvlaregistrations.co.uk.