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Foreign vehicle drivers not paying parking fines
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| Only 19 out of 395 fines were paid |
DRIVERS of foreign registered vehicles who fail to pay parking fines are costing a council up to £23,700 a year.
Between April 2007 and March this year only 19 out of the 395 fines issued by Gravesham Council to foreign registered vehicles were paid - a payment rate of less than five per cent.
In the same year the council issued 14, 877 parking tickets to UK-registered vehicles with 11, 457 (77 per cent) paying their £60 fine.
The council says the vast majority of these unpaid fines stem from private car users and that it's difficult to track addresses of drivers with vehicles registered abroad.
A spokesman for the council explained: "We get our address details from DVLA and they only hold the UK database for vehicles.
"Very few overseas vehicles ever pay parking tickets.
"The final recourse for us is to send a bailiff but it is not worthwhile to send them abroad to pick up a parking fine because this would cost more than the fine."
"The majority of these unpaid fines occur when drivers of private foreign registered vehicles park on double yellow lines and fail to pay their penalty."
He added: "There is a lobbying group called SPARKS which is looking to enable local authorities in the UK and EU member states to collaborate in resolving the issue of cross border enforcement of civil traffic contraventions."
Five years ago only 24 fines were issued to foreign registered vehicles with six being paid. Meanwhile 15, 248 were handed to UK registered vehicles with 12, 746 (86 per cent) being paid.
A report by the Institute for Public Policy Research which was published in May showed 15 out of every 1000 people in Gravesham are from one of eight countries which joined the EU in 2004.
The proportion of Gravesham residents from the Czech Republic, Poland, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia is the highest in Kent with 2,145 eastern European employees living among the borough's 116, 300 population.
Gravesham Council launched a new parking fine system in March with penalties of £50 for minor offences and £70 for parking on pathways, verges, central reservations and outside schools.
All fines are halved if paid within 14 days. Failure to pay can result in prosecution.
11:45am Friday 18th July 2008
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CommentPosted by: sam, dartford on 2:19pm Fri 18 Jul 08
Very simple answer to this. Get off your backsides, contact the relevant country and send fines to the registered keepers of the vehicles.
you dont waste time when we get a fine
Very simple answer to this. Get off your backsides, contact the relevant country and send fines to the registered keepers of the vehicles.
you dont waste time when we get a fine
Posted by: Geoff, Northfleet on 5:16am Sat 19 Jul 08
Nnot only do some of these people get housed in luxury accomodation( yes council don't deny it)now they are getting away with not paying fines(I assume some of these cars should not be legally driven as well).The answer for us all is not to pay all our council taxes, then, as long term law abiding citizens, we can be on a par with those, that are not.
Nnot only do some of these people get housed in luxury accomodation( yes council don't deny it)now they are getting away with not paying fines(I assume some of these cars should not be legally driven as well).The answer for us all is not to pay all our council taxes, then, as long term law abiding citizens, we can be on a par with those, that are not.
Posted by: doc, in england on 1:19pm Sat 19 Jul 08
Why should they pay as they are not living here.
Like the america empasey not paying the conjest changes for entring central london.
Geoff if you had the nerve not to pay you would. So do not feel bitter against the one`s that do not pay.
I take it that the one`s that are against these imagrat, love the traffic wardens.
Why should they pay as they are not living here.
Like the america empasey not paying the conjest changes for entring central london.
Geoff if you had the nerve not to pay you would. So do not feel bitter against the one`s that do not pay.
I take it that the one`s that are against these imagrat, love the traffic wardens.
Posted by: Mark, Dartford on 5:36am Sun 20 Jul 08
But they are living here Doc.If you read the article properly.Could not make sense of your comment.
But they are living here Doc.If you read the article properly.Could not make sense of your comment.
Posted by: doc, english class on 12:22pm Sun 20 Jul 08
wat u on about mark, i z understand me self good.
I gone a read the article again to a prove u wrong en.
Yea same as before.
I want to let you know I z have a GCS plus A in english.
I z never pay my fines. cos my mate pat says a you do not have to.
so there mick of dartford.
wat u on about mark, i z understand me self good.
I gone a read the article again to a prove u wrong en.
Yea same as before.
I want to let you know I z have a GCS plus A in english.
I z never pay my fines. cos my mate pat says a you do not have to.
so there mick of dartford.
Posted by: les, dartford on 8:38pm Sun 20 Jul 08
well dont give them a parking ticket clamp their car that way they will have to pay.
well dont give them a parking ticket clamp their car that way they will have to pay.
Posted by: sam, dartford on 6:30am Sat 26 Jul 08
i have a solution. bulldoze the ugly old fashioned boarded up buildings, or the woodville ancient halls and have a free car park, and dont charge fees at all
i have a solution. bulldoze the ugly old fashioned boarded up buildings, or the woodville ancient halls and have a free car park, and dont charge fees at all
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