Rotherham Council impounds dozens of vehicles to keep the streets safe
25 vehicles have been seized by the local authority since April 1 - with two crushed after they were found to have been parked illegally
Illegally parked vehicles in South Yorkshire are being crushed to keep the streets safe.
Rotherham Council say persistent offenders have led to 25 vehicles impounded since the 1st of April – two of those have been crushed.
They add they’re dedicated to safer roads and keeping them clear of problem parking.
One of those cars (pictured above) was a Vauxhall Zafira, which has seen six unpaid Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) against it for parking illegally in the city.
The Traffic Management Act allows for a vehicle to be impounded if it has three unpaid penalty charge notices issued against it.
Cllr Denise Lelliott, Cabinet Member for Jobs and the Local Economy, said: “We’re dedicated to safer roads and keeping them clear of problem parking. It’s also essential that we stop misuse of disabled bays, to keep them available to people who have a right to use them.
“Inconsiderate parking is not exclusive to our town or town centre, but our staff are working hard to prevent persistent offenders and tow away their vehicles. Impounding vehicles combats drivers who think they’re beyond the reach of law by not registering as the owner of a vehicle when they buy it.”
in total, 25 vehicles impounded since 1 April, 2023 by council parking enforcement officers in Rotherham, with the local authority saying they'll continue to work to keep the streets safe and disabled parking bays clear of illegally parked vehicles.
Drivers who persist in parking illegally and have their vehicle impounded must pay their fines or have their vehicle crushed.
During the 2022/2023 financial year, the Council impounded 57 vehicles that were the subject of a total of 345 unpaid PCNs.
In the year to date, 25 vehicles have been impounded, two of them have been crushed and seventeen released, whilst 111 of 187 unpaid PCNs made against these vehicles have been paid.
Last year, 14 of the 57 vehicles impounded were destroyed by Rotherham Council.
Tracy Simmons, Manager of Parkgate Mobility in Rotherham said: ‘Many of our customers are blue badge holders and they often say that the abuse of blue badge parking bays is a real problem. It’s great to hear that the Council takes this approach when drivers repeatedly breach the regulations.’
Any money which is made (surplus) to the council's enforcement work is reinvested into the Council’s Highways Budget, which funds things like the borough's roads network and street lighting.