A MESSAGE needs to be sent to foreign drivers who avoid parking fines in Southend, according to the council’s deputy leader.

Southend Council has announced it will crack down on drivers from other countries after hundreds ducked out of paying parking fines.

In the past three years 647 foreign registered drivers have avoided paying parking fines, which are worth a total of £39,405 to the council. Enforcement company Euro Parking Collection has been given permission to pursue the owners of foreign registered vehicles that commit offences in the borough.

Councillor Ron Woodley, deputy leader of the council, explained his motivation to introduce the enforcement was to “send a message”.

He said: “This is a problem in Southend. We have foreign vehicles that are registered abroad that come to Southend and break the Highways Act. It was felt that we need to take a stance so we are going to be working with a company in London that can track and recuperate money from foreign nationals. It is a deterrent more than anything else - why should UK and Southend people obey the rules when foreign vehicles don’t?

“This will send a message that says if you come to Southend and you break the rules of the town you will get nicked and we will pursue you for the money.”

The enforcement will not come at any cost at all to the council as the authority has arranged for it to be done on a commission-only basis.

Mr Woodley explained that this means for every £1 recuperated by the company, the council will keep 65 pence and the enforcement company will keep 35 pence.

Euro Parking Collection already works with almost all London councils on parking enforcement, as well a several other areas such as Cambridgeshire, Leicester and Portsmouth.

It comes as part of a wider strategy announced last week which is aimed at strengthening the borough’s parking enforcement measures. It includes asking the council’s existing parking contractor to employ five additional enforcement officers, who will help to patrol areas such as schools where parking can be particularly problematic. Mr Woodley added: “Enforcement is always a controversial topic, but it is an important area that we must keep on top of, both to ensure the borough is kept moving, but also to ensure safety.”