Well this has turned into a cheerful thread!
The plate is completely legal for use in the UK. The background colour of the euro flag would only be an issue if I intended to travel outside the UK with the car. I do not. It is not a legal requirement to have the euro flag on the car at all. I just didn't bother having it removed. In the unlikely event of it being an issue for a future owner, I will be keeping the original plates, which could easily be put back on.
You're correct, it's not a legal requirement to have the euro flag on there at all, however if you do have it, it should conform to the rules specified.
Frankly I couldn't care less if you drove around without plates at all, but if you're going to post up on an internet forum for opinions, you have to take the rough with the smooth. I could have said the red border looks naff, or the writing at the bottom looks cheap and tacky, almost saxo esque, but I didn't, I merely pointed out the fact that the black background is illegal. I've pasted the very clearly worded bit below, just in case your clicky finger is too hurty.
Euro symbol
If you display the Euro symbol and Great Britain (GB) national identifier on your number plate, then you won’t need a separate GB sticker when travelling within the European Union.
The Euro symbol must:
be a minimum height of 98mm
have a width between 40 and 50mm
have a reflective blue background with 12 reflecting yellow stars at the top
show the member state (GB) in reflecting white or yellow
I am aware of what the regulations say and I cannot see that it's an issue if I don't take the car abroad. If the plate is technically illegal then it's a risk I'm happy to take.
Nice little jibes about my plate you got in there. I typed quite a few replies with equally unpleasant remarks about your car, then I thought, nah, life's too short. This is usually a friendly forum and people are generally quite good natured even when they disagree about something. If it makes you feel good sniping at people like that - fill your boots.