The problem of illegally parked vehicles in the U.K. is not new. It has been bothering the authorities as well as the common masses for years. Therefore, to fight against this issue and curb the problem of illegal parking by the foreign-registered vehicles in Northampton shire, several new measures have been put in place.
Responsible for the appropriate implementation of the parking enforcement service, Northamptonshire County Council and covers the borough and district areas of Northampton, Daventry, Wellingborough, South Northamptonshire and East Northamptonshire.
In case of any illegal parking by a foreign registered vehicle, the county council holds the right to issue penalty charge notices for contraventions such as parking on yellow lines or parking illegally in residents’ parking zones.
Tickets issued by the county council
The number of tickets issued against foreign vehicles by the county council is relatively small. But, previously it had been difficult for the council to recover any penalty charges.
Therefore, to chase unpaid tickets, the county council obtains vehicle owner details from DVLA records for vehicles registered within the country. But, this does not give access to data held by other vehicle registration organisations across Europe.
How many tickets are issued?
During the financial year 2015-2016, approximately 935 tickets were issued against foreign vehicles. Out of these, around 646 had to be written off as there was no way of recovering the penalty charge.
To enable the recovery of these penalty charges, the county council appointed Euro Parking Collection plc (EPC) that works on behalf of more than 450 issuing organisations in 15 European countries. The issuing organisations are primarily made up of public and police authorities, councils, municipalities, national government agencies, road toll operators and private parking companies.
As quoted by Cllr Ian Morris, county council cabinet member for transport, highways and environment, “The majority of motorists park correctly. But a vehicle parked incorrectly can not only be dangerous but cause delays, queuing and inconvenience for other road users. Parking needs to be managed to make sure Northamptonshire keeps on the move.”
It has also believed that effective parking restrictions in town centers also help in keeping a high turnover of vehicles, bringing more cars into the town, and boosting trade.
“We receive many complaints each year regarding the illegal parking of foreign-registered vehicles but until now it has been very difficult to recover the debt from unpaid penalty charge notices.”
It is expected that incorporating these changes will help in recovering all or some of those tickets where the authority experienced difficulties in the past.
If you would be interested to know how this entire process will work, contact the DVLA customer service number 0844 241 5511 now. The representatives available at your service would be happy to serve you with the best information.
