License plates which could be perceived as referring to the so-called Islamic State group have been banned in one German city.

Officials in Marburg have stopped releasing those starting with the initials "IS", in apparent reference to the terrorist group.

City spokesman Markus Morr told NBC News, "after the Paris attacks in November last year, we decided to no longer issue this letter combination."

"About 215 cars in our wider region are still driving around with the abbreviation 'IS'" he said.

Owners willing to pay the small fee for personalised vanity plates in the city will also be asked to stay away from the letters. Marburg registers around 4,000 new vehicles each month.

German license plates generally begin with the letter abbreviation of the municipality the vehicle has been registered in, followed by one or two-letter combinations and several numbers.

This is not the first time a German city has stopped issuing controversial license plates.

The Bavarian city of Nuernberg recently banned the combination "N-PD," an abbreviation for Germany's notorious far-right National Democratic Party, whilst residents who want to use "N-SU" - letters that were used by right-wing terror organisation National Socialist Underground - "will have to request special permission with a specific reason," according to Steffen Kessler, a spokesman for Nuernberg's regulatory agency.