A lot of coverage in the UK press about the amount of money, estimated at £4 million, being lost in London as a result of unpaid parking tickets by foreign registered vehicles, mainly ‘supercars’.
The owners of the vehicles, such as expensive Bugattis, Rolls Royces, Hummers, Lamborghinis etc, ignore the parking regulations and some have notched up thousands of pounds in unpaid tickets. They fly their cars in for the summer and then, basically, do as they please.
Traffic wardens say they are often hampered in their fun work by the fact that many of the number plates have Arabic lettering, making them difficult to register for a ticket. Westminster City Council says it is powerless to recoup the money owed from the drivers who cannot be traced due to their number plates being from the Middle East.
Surely the answer is simple, especially for those who regularly flout the regulations and have, in some cases, notched up 30 or more tickets. If not on the first occasion, then certainly the second, clamp them or tow them away and refuse to hand back the car until the fines are paid.
The authorities are never slow to clamp, tow or prosecute British subjects for even the slightest offence.