Cough Up Or Be Clamped

Council cracks down on persistent parking offenders

Motorists who persistently fail to pay their parking fines could have their cars seized in a pilot scheme due to begin in the borough in January.

Anybody with three or more unpaid parking fines could have their car clamped or towed away – even if they are legally parked at the time they are spotted. They would then have to pay a fee to release their vehicle in addition to any outstanding fines.

A database of the worst offenders is already being compiled, with London's top 20 evaders said to have over 1,500 unpaid fines between them.

Cllr Nick Botterill, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment, said: "This pilot scheme aims to tackle the serious issue of drivers persistently failing to pay their parking fines. We make no apology for doing all we can to recover outstanding parking revenue."

But parking campaigner Barrie Segal of AppealNow said there was too much room for error: “There's a great danger that innocent people will actually have their cars removed, principally because the councils' systems aren't always adequate enough to deal with appeals and register them. So, consequently, if you have three appeals which you have lodged, they're not on the system, the time limits have expired, you may well find your car taken away,” he told the BBC.

Boroughs taking part in the six-month pilot include Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, Camden and Hackney. If it proves to be successful, it will be rolled out across the capital.

The scheme has been welcomed by the AA. "We have always said they should concentrate on persistent offenders. It is better to target those who repeatedly cock a snook at the system rather than a driver who has made a one-off simple mistake," they said.

Since September 2008, parking permits have no longer been issued to Hammersmith and Fulham applicants who have three or more unpaid parking fines that are beyond the stage of appeal.

12 November 2009