The government is said to be "seriously considering" scrapping the traditional tax disc in the UK.

Thanks to new sophisticated databases, officials from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) can instantly tell if a car, van or lorry is insured without having to check the disc on the windscreen.

Leaders at the British Vehicle Renting and Leasing Association (BVRLA) have welcomed the abolition of the old system, insisting it will save the public sector lots of money in the long run.

Chief executive of the organisation John Lewis is happy that the group's lengthy campaign for more streamlined DVLA services appears to have been fruitful.

"We estimate that removing this pointless piece of paper would save the government around £90 million a year and produce major administrative cost savings for fleet operators as well," he remarked.

Fleet operators have been blighted by high costs and unnecessary red tape for a number of years, but it seems the authorities are trying to rectify the situation.

As well as scrapping a proposed fuel duty hike in 2013, the government has also introduced charges for foreign lorry drivers using British roads in order to make UK firms more competitive.