Use Of CCTV To Issue Fines 'Orwellian'

Motoring organisations slam 'seriously flawed' council practice

Motoring organisations have described the process of Councils using CCTV cameras to issue motoring fines as "seriously flawed".

Hounslow is one of the 35 councils who took advantage of new powers enabling them to use CCTV in this manner.

Edmund King, president of the AA, described the powers as "Orwellian". He told The Telegraph, "CCTV enforcement is being done on an industrial scale and its intention has moved away from deterrence to a flourishing and lucrative industry, with drivers' wallets being harvested for cash."

"A civil enforcement officer can deter people from parking illegally - which is why they are there in the first place. All a camera does is raise cash."

Dubbed 'ghost tickets', motoring organisations believe that the lack of immediate notification makes it harder for drivers to collect evidence to support a successful appeal.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said that local authorities should only use cameras to enforce parking where it is "dangerous or impractical for a civil parking enforcement officer to work".

However, a spokesperson for the Local Government Association said that councils would not apologise for tackling illegal parking, adding that "the money councils get from parking fines is reinvested in improving the local transport network".

January 20, 2010