CCTV car catches 5,000 illegally parked drivers

A car equipped with a CCTV camera has caught more than 5,000 drivers parking illegally after patrolling Leicester for four months.

Leicester City Council introduced the enforcement vehicle, equipped with a number plate recognition camera, on 1 April to help tackle illegal and dangerous parking.

It has been monitoring red routes, zigzag markings outside schools and bus stop clearways, and drivers breaking the rules are issued with a £70 fixed penalty notice.

The city council said it had issued 5,229 fixed penalty notices to drivers caught by the camera car between 1 April and the end of July, and was in the process of procuring a second vehicle.

A spokesperson for the authority said: "The new car has made our local roads noticeably safer and more compliant especially the red routes around the inner-city centre.

"The existing car has been an efficient tool directly helping us tackle illegal parking across the city.

"In addition to the city's red route corridors, the car can also enforce against cars parked on school keep clear markings and in bus stop clearways."

The council previously said the vehicle, which cost £57,000 to buy and equip, would be funded by the income generated from penalties.

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