Westminster Council owed £4m in unpaid parking fines

[joinerjohn]

Well great news. Over £4m owed by foreign drivers to Westminster City Council.
http://latestnews.virginmedia.com/news/uk/2010/08/14/overseas_drivers_owe_council_4m

If I were in charge of parking enforcement, I'd have the list of high profile offenders in every traffic wardens pockets. As soon as they ticket one, clamp it and remove the vehicle to a compound, where it would stay until all outstanding fines had been paid in full. I'd also increase impound costs so these cheating foreigners realise that they can't get away with parking where the hell they want.

 

[Infidel]

Dame Shirley Porter owes them a bit more

 

[big-all]

if they are getting regular weekly tickets for a period of 8 months then they should inform the police
after 6 months vehicles and drivers are required to apply for a uk licence and vehicle registration number so are breaking the law

 

[Ianthedecorator]

Imagine this ,one day every parking enforcment officer went on strike starting from monday 9am till friday 5pm ,will the city and country carry on as normal ? well yes it would i will say .people will park pretty much in the same way ,if anybody causes a obstruction it should be for the police to sort out ,councils just use parking as a cash cow just like speed cameras .

 

[joinerjohn]

Imagine this ,one day every parking enforcment officer went on strike starting from monday 9am till friday 5pm ,will the city and country carry on as normal ? well yes it would i will say .people will park pretty much in the same way ,if anybody causes a obstruction it should be for the police to sort out ,councils just use parking as a cash cow just like speed cameras .

Nice thought Ian. although I agree that council's tend to use parking tickets as a cash raiser. The problem is though, that these foreigners totally disregard local laws on parking and then ignore the ticket they are given.
Perhaps the power to immediately remove the vehicle and charge let's say £10,000 per day storage may stop them. There again, if they can afford these expensive cars, the fine should be loose change to them so they should pay the fines.
Would we do the same abroad? I don't think so.

 

[Biguns]

Imagine this ,one day every parking enforcment officer went on strike starting from monday 9am till friday 5pm ,will the city and country carry on as normal ? well yes it would i will say .people will park pretty much in the same way ,if anybody causes a obstruction it should be for the police to sort out ,councils just use parking as a cash cow just like speed cameras .

The only problem with that scenarion is that every available parking space would be filled at 8.30 am and the same cars would be in the same spaces at 4.30pm. These cars would be owned by people who work in the city/town.
The visitors would have nowhere to park.
It is a cash cow. But I can't think of a fairer system to give eveyone a chance.

 

[Infidel]

,if anybody causes a obstruction it should be for the police to sort out .

Fine if you want to wait for the Ambulance,Fire Engine,

 

[opps]

The evening ITV news coverage of this story said that Westminister residents had to pick up the costs of the unpaid fines- How does that work.

Cllr Lee Rowley, Westminster Council’s cabinet member for parking, said: "British taxpayers can no longer foot the bill for foreign motorists who seem think the rules of this country do not apply to them

Does this mean that the concil has a projected revenue stream from fines and thus needs to fine more people???

If these vehicles are casuing an obstruction then why not clamp them???

For what its worth I have known British drivers that use french plates to evade the congestion charge.

 

[joinerjohn]

I know of a businessman here in Derby who used to buy his cars and register them in Germany, then imports them and drives them over here for years. Speeding fines, parking tickets etc . All was fine until someone reported him to DVLA and they paid him a visit. He got fined thousands for illegally driving cars registered abroad and not re-registering them in this country.

Personally, I think Westminster council should clamp then tow away all foreign registered vehicles that are illegally parked and charge them £1000 per day until all parking fines are paid.