Westminster Council puts its foot down on overseas drivers’ parking fines

Published: 20 August, 2010
by MARTHA HAMPSON

WESTMINSTER council has called for a change in legislation to allow it to enforce £4million worth of unpaid parking fines racked up by foreign drivers. 

A total of £12.9m in parking tickets are issued in the capital every year to vehicles registered in the USA, Europe and the Middle East, with 80 per cent of overseas drivers escaping payment.

Local authorities are currently unable to access the details of cars registered abroad, as parking fines are classified as administrative rather than criminal offences under EU law – a position which Westminster believes drivers are using to their advantage. 

Many of the offenders on the council’s list drive top-of-the-range supercars, with two owning the most expensive production car in the world – the £1.2m Bugatti Veyron L’Edition Centenaire, which has a top speed of 250mph.

Officials have been forced to write off thousands of pounds of unpaid fines, including £4,000 owed by the driver of an American-registered Hummer and £2,000 owed by the driver of Lamborghini Murcielago, worth £200,000 and registered in Dubai. Both drivers have since clocked up further penalties.

Other repeat offenders include a white BMW X6 and another American-registered Hummer, both with 35 outstanding tickets totaling more than £3,500.

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

“We would like to see a more rigorous system put in place to hold these drivers to account and send a clear message that this blatant disregard of the law will not be tolerated.”

The list of offences include parking on yellow lines, in bus lanes and in residents’ parking bays. One in eight owners of foreign-registered vehicles also fails to pay the congestion charge.