Blitz on illegal parking

A MAJOR crackdown on illegal parking is being launched next month as part of the biggest shake-up of parking enforcement in the county for years.

A team of parking wardens has been recruited to patrol the streets of  Corby, Wellingborough and Rushden in Northamptonshire, England, and will start issuing tickets from Sunday, August 5th 2007.

For the first week drivers who park on double yellow lines, in loading bays and in permit-only areas without a permit will be issued with a dummy ticket, but after August 12 they can expect a £60 fine, reduced to £30 if paid in two weeks.

The wardens will concentrate predominantly on town centre streets.

Northamptonshire County Council is taking over powers for parking enforcement from the police, with private firm  National Car Parks given the contract to carry out the patrols on its behalf.

kettering is not included in the scheme as it has not signed up to the project.

It will cost the council around £2.7 million to enforce the parking restrictions, but by 2008/09 – after a full year of the operation – the amount generated for the council through parking fines, car park charges and residents' parking schemes is estimated at £3 million, with the

proceeds invested back into road projects.