Lambeth hands out most CCTV parking fines in the UK (From Streatham Guardian)

Lambeth hands out most 'big brother' CCTV parking fines in the UK

9:45am Wednesday 4th August 2010 in News By Matt Watts

Under surveillance: A CCTV car parked on a double yellow line in Salter's Hill

Controversial CCTV cars snapping motorists breaking driving rules rake in more cash for Lambeth than any other council in the country.

The borough's three patrol cars gave out a whopping 34,016 tickets in 2009-10, to the tune of £1,689,460.

This dwarfed the revenue of Manchester City Council, whose two CCTV cars handed out just 4,294 tickets worth £122,372.

According to campaign group Big Brother Watch CCTV cars compromise road safety and “make money, with road safety only an afterthought”.

But Lambeth Council said parking enforcement was about keeping roads safe and clear, not raising money.

Lambeth is one of 31 places in the country known to use CCTV cars to hand out fines.

The cars have caused controversy in the borough, with residents complaining traffic wardens should not be allowed to position them in potentially dangerous spots on double yellow lines where other motorists cannot park.

Dylan Sharpe, campaign director at Big Brother Watch, said: “The CCTV Smart car is a dangerous escalation in Britain's surveillance society.”

Co-director Alex Deane, said: “The good people of Lambeth are being picked on even more than the rest of us” adding the borough was “comfortably at the top of the CCTV car list of shame in the entire country”.

Councillor Nigel Haselden, Lambeth's deputy cabinet member for sustainability and transport, said: "Lambeth is one of the busiest parts of London and our residents expect us to keep our roads safe and clear of congestion, and CCTV enforcement is vital in making sure we can deal with the relatively small number of motorists who insist on ignoring the rules – the overwhelming majority of responsible motorists have nothing to be concerned about.

"Parking enforcement is categorically not about raising money, it is about keeping roads safe and clear.

"Any surplus income goes directly towards schemes that make our roads safer, such as 20 mph zones and cycle lanes, as well as funding Freedom Passes for older people."

Between April 2008 and March 2009 Lambeth handed out 236,450 parking enforcement notices.

Some 31,063 were for moving traffic offences, that can be captured by CCTV cars.