Clampdown on drivers with unpaid parking tickets sees over a dozen vehicles removed in Portsmouth

Officers from Portsmouth City Council recently targeted drivers of vehicles with three or more unpaid parking tickets in an effort to tackle those who persistently evade parking tickets in the city.

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This operation on August 17, spearheaded by the city's traffic management department, was targeted at vehicles with unpaid Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) that have disregarded legal parking rules.

During the day and evening of the operation, efforts focused on residential parking zones (RPZs) where a concentration of persistent evaders had been noticed. "The operation yielded good results, with eight vehicles removed from various RPZs across the city. Officers also removed five untaxed vehicles that were discovered during the operation,” a council spokeswoman said.

A persistent evader is identified as someone with three or more unpaid PCNs that have passed the appeal stage. These vehicles can make it harder for people to park near their homes, and those that have shown a consistent pattern of illegal parking can disrupt the orderly flow of traffic in the city.

The Department for Transport’s statutory guidelines for local authorities state when a persistent evader’s vehicle is in contravention it should be subject to the strongest possible enforcement following the issue of a PCN.

Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, member for transport, said: "The results of this operation demonstrate our commitment to maintaining order on our streets and upholding parking regulations. People who persistently evade parking tickets make it much harder for people to park near their homes. This operation sends a message that we won't just let these things go."