License plates top virtual lost and found box

Car plates that were ripped off their bumpers as Typhoon Lekima made its way through Shanghai and its neighboring cities over the weekend have topped an improvised lost and found service on social media.

Since Sunday, police, members of the media and urban patrol officers in the cities affected by the typhoon, including Hangzhou in Zhejiang province and Zibo in Shandong province, have contributed to the Weibo platform, sharing photos of lost items and instructions on how owners can retrieve their possessions.

The police have warned that those driving without either their front or rear plates will be fined 200 yuan ($28) and given the maximum 12 demerit points, meaning they would have to undergo a driving test again to get their licenses.

The police added that car owners who cannot find their lost license plates can apply for new ones online through the traffic police's 12123 app, or through a local vehicle administration bureau.