10 wealthy drivers rack-up 600 parking tickets in a year

Exclusive by Paul Gallagher

March 13, 2010

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A handful of wealthy motorists are making a mockery of parking restrictions in Manchester by collecting more than 600 tickets between them in just one year, the MEN can reveal.

Ten regularly park their cars illegally around the city centre collecting £30 penalties each time they are caught.

Two of the worst offenders were fined 110 times each in the space of 12 months – notching up fines totalling £3,300 each.

The fines are issued for offences which include parking in disabled bays, loading bays or on yellow lines.

But the council has no powers to increase the penalties for serial offenders, as long as the motorists keep paying their fines promptly.

For some millionaire motorists, the penalty has apparently become a price worth paying for a convenient parking spot. On-street parking is at a premium in the city centre and costs up to £2.20 an hour.

And despite all the sporting and showbiz celebrities in Manchester, the list is made up entirely of wealthy businessmen and professionals.

The new figures, obtained by the MEN, show how parking wardens are repeatedly issuing tickets to the same small group of drivers.

The worst 10 offenders collected a total of 613 tickets between them during 2009.

If all the £30 fines were paid within 14 days, when the penalty doubles to £60, it would still make a total bill of £18,390.

City centre Lib Dem councillor Marc Ramsbottom said local authorities should be given extra powers to crack down on repeat offenders.

“There are some motorists who just flagrantly disregard parking regulations – they are using the city centre as a convenient parking spot.

“Unfortunately, it appears the fines are no deterrent. These people regard the payment of a parking fine in the same way that the rest of us pay up at a machine.

Named and shamed

“The council knows who these people are – perhaps they should be named and shamed.”

Manchester council initially refused to give details of the repeat offenders to the MEN, citing 'data protection' issues.

But the authority later backtracked after the MEN submitted a formal request under the Freedom of Information Act.

A spokesman for the council said the authority had powers to seize the vehicles of motorists who did not pay their parking fines – but no powers to tackle repeat offenders who pay up promptly.

Richard Cowell, Manchester council's executive member for the environment, said: "Repeat offenders make up a tiny proportion of the number of motorists who receive parking tickets in Manchester.

“It is disappointing that this small group continues to park illegally, but the vast majority of motorists do see penalty notices as a deterrent.

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Showing comments 1 to 25 and replies | View All

StretfordBLUE in America, Born a BLUE and Forever (13/03/2010 at 14:06)

You know in some American cities, if you park in disabled bays your serve some days in jail. Maybe that's the answer.

wotaboutawaterbottleweeble, north wales (13/03/2010 at 14:51)

First offence should be a ten pound ticket, doubling with each subsequent misdemeanour. If these wealthy types want to carry on parking wherever, whenever let them - let the income derived go towards reducing fuel tax. Simples.

local_lass, Burnage (13/03/2010 at 14:58)

The council may well have no powers to increase the penalties for repaeat offenders if fines are paid on time. But the final statement implies that many of these repeat offenders do have outstanding fines. When cars are ticketed wardens should check for outstanding tickets and if there are tow the cars away and crush them.

Fines should be means tested so it is the same deterrent for everyone.

Blip, Manchester (13/03/2010 at 15:06)

The money is obviously irrelevant to these people. They evidently consider 3 grand a year a small price to pay for the convenience of being able to park wherever and whenever they want.

I remember last year reading about Christine Ronaldo regularly parking his Bentley in the disabled bay in an Alderly Edge Bistro car park. I wondered why nobody ever took it upon themselves to deflate a couple of his tyres. The inconvenience that would have caused him would have been far more effective than any fine.

jordy, Middleton (13/03/2010 at 15:22)

I thought El Hajj Diouf, and his assortment of bling awful cars,would have taken at least half of the tickets!

Is It Me? (13/03/2010 at 15:50)

Why name and shame them? They are doing the ratepayers a favour by contributing so much money! Ater all,that is the main purpose of it all,isn't it,raising money?

George Kane, Stretford (13/03/2010 at 16:17)

If people who park in disabled bays are nt disabled we should be able to disable them,fair shout ?

Officer Dibble, On the lash with Choo-Choo and Benny. (13/03/2010 at 17:17)

Just have a look around St Annes Square. No doubt a good percentage of these tickets are issued there!!

When I was down at Wembley the other week I noticed plenty of signs stating that if you park illegally, then your car will be towed away. Hefty release fees and the hassle of going to collect it from the compund. Maybe an answer?

Ivor Rash, Oldham (13/03/2010 at 17:50)

Can these cars not be treated as causing an obstruction? Then they could be lifted & the owners will have to pay £150 recovery fee plus £20 a day storage. Maybe that will concentrate their minds.

steve wilson (13/03/2010 at 18:02)

NAME AND SHAME THEM!

Andrew Livesey (13/03/2010 at 18:21)

Easy solution - clamp them and make them suffer the inconvience!

Terry Henderson (13/03/2010 at 18:34)

I know people in the business area just , a richly seperate distance behind , Boot's the Chemist, on Market Street, whom have disabled badges on their top-range cars and can run up three flights of stairs with a young woman on each arm.

...

Now come one, disabled is meant not to be the richest in Manchester that can buy their right to a badge down a wealthy London street! I can show you the cars and the people!

James Yates, Hyde, Cheshire (13/03/2010 at 18:44)

What are these cars not towed away? If you park illegally in Amsterdam you get wheel-clamped, have to go to an office to get someone radioed to, eventually, take the clamps off, and you pay about 100 pounds for the pleasure. It stops illegal parking. But, yet again, the council will have to write a letter to civil servants or legislators in London to solve a Northwestern problem. Well, the locals don't want democracy, so let the Londoners decide.

7501 , Manchester (13/03/2010 at 19:18)

The answer is simple. Tow their cars away. That would inconvienence them to no end. Having to go to a police station to find out where their car is and then to have to go to collect it would cost time and hurt more.

Andanotherthing, Mcr (13/03/2010 at 22:50)

Local_Lass. What is your problem.? These people are paying the going rate . You could do it also if you want to.

Jon Lord, Tameside (14/03/2010 at 00:58)

Seeing as the MEN submitted a formal request under the FOI act ... lets see tham named and shamed please !!!

Laura Norder, Didsbury (14/03/2010 at 02:38)

Yeh, let's fine people for being wealthy.

Get real - losers.

Uncle Buck, Manchester, a United-free city for 100 years. (14/03/2010 at 02:43)

These people like the 'convenience' of city centre parking. Therefore, the penalty for repeat offenders should be the towing away of their vehicles. It doesn't matter how much money you have; the thought of your car maybe not being there on your return, coupled with the subsequent inconvenience of having to collect it from the local pound (and add to that the risk of tow damage), would be a sufficient deterent to most of these self-important p****s!

gerts, South Manchester (14/03/2010 at 08:55)

Why don't they get the police involved and remove the cars?

Colin the pie, WIGAN (14/03/2010 at 08:58)

Tow the cars away. The inconvenience is worst than any fine.

Panzer 391, Salford (14/03/2010 at 10:20)

Yes it used to be perfectly normal for rich people to park their posh cars outside Kendals in Manchester but what if there was the threat of them being towed away or is that just if your ticket runs out when parked in a proper car park ?

irrelevant, Salford (14/03/2010 at 12:53)

110 tickets over a year is only just over two a week. Leaving your car on the street for the entire working day, say eight hours a day, five days a week, would cost £88 at £2.20 an hour (which I can verify, as I had to pay that the other day!) But it's costing them not much more than £60 in fines instead, so they probably see it as the cheaper option!

Maybe if they still had to pay the parking charges as well as the fine, it would make a bit of a difference.

Andy, Wythenshawe (14/03/2010 at 17:14)

I've always said fines should be income linked to affect all equally.

The law needs to be changed to tackle the issue , the sooner the better.

garfield (14/03/2010 at 20:00)

if they are paying the fines then let them park there...id sooner let that happen than pay more council tax??????

Careless Whisper (14/03/2010 at 20:41)

SCUM!

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