Parking wardens to hand out on-the-spot fines to anyone dropping litter

Parking attendants could soon be able to hand out on-the-spot fines for anti-social behaviour.

Re-named "civil enforcement officers", they would be allowed to issue penalty notices for dropping litter, fly-posting or spraying graffiti.

They would also become council "spies", reporting on unruly behaviour and providing evidence which could lead to prosecutions and Asbos.

Westminster City Council is now considering using the full powers provided by a government shake-up of the parking system.

Under the proposals, parking attendants would be able to: • Hand out tickets for littering, fly-posting and graffiti. • Issue fixed-penalty notices for driving in bus-lanes or jumping red lights. • Report anti-social behaviour and be involved in collecting evidence for Asbos. • Be summoned in front of a parking regulator in court to give evidence.

At the moment, attendants are only allowed to issue parking fines, report abandoned vehicles and inaccurate signs or markings, and check car parks are clean and tidy.

The new rules will be announced by the Department of Transport next month and are expected to come into force on 1 March next year under the Traffic Management Act 2004.

They are designed to free up more police time by switching powers to local councils.

A motorist who refuses to pay a £60 fine for jumping lights will be taken to court where a civil enforcement officer (CEO) could give evidence. Anyone failing to pay an on-the-spot littering fine faces a maximum penalty of £2,500.

Westminster Council parking manager Kieran Fitsall said of the new civil enforcement officers: "Primarily they are to be the eyes and the ears of the council and concentrate on road offences which have been decriminalised.

"However, the Act is not specific and it could be used to pass on information leading to an Asbo or used so CEOs could hand out fixedpenalty notices for dropping litter or cigarette butts."

The RAC Foundation's head of campaigns Sheila Rainger said that if CEOs started unfairly targeting people, many would "lose faith" in the justice system.