Motorcyclists who take their bikes off-road will no longer have to complete a SORN declaration every year, under changes announced by the government.

Under current regulations, Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) declarations are only valid for 12 months and must be renewed annually. Those who do not renew their SORN declaration and fail to tax the vehicle could face a fine of £80 or have their vehicle impounded.

However, under the new scheme, motorists could effectively declare their vehicle as SORN “until further notice”, removing the need for an annual declaration. To put their vehicle back on the road, keepers would simply have to tax the vehicle as normal.

Additional proposals include removing the need for motorists to hold an insurance certificate and abolishing the requirement of proof of insurance when applying for road tax.

It will allow more people to tax vehicles online by relying on automatic insurance database checks.

Transport Secretary Justine Greening said: “Motorists shouldn’t have to keep numerous bits of paper just to prove they can drive and have bought insurance – we live in a digital age and we need to embrace that.

“Reducing the number of rules and regulations in our life is absolutely vital to removing barriers to economic growth and increasing individual freedoms. This whole process just proves that there’s so much sitting on our statute books that at the very least needs a good spring clean or can be scrapped entirely.”