New Toyota Aygo camera cars to enforce moving traffic violations and patrol CPZs

Waltham Forest council's new luminous green Toyota Aygo cars have been kitted out with automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology to allow for the "efficient enforcement of virtual parking permits in CPZs", a council spokeswoman said.

They have been leased from private parking enforcement contractor NSL and were rolled out at the beginning of this month.

The green colour scheme was chosen during the upgrade to ensure the vehicles "stand-out" primarily when carrying out enforcement for moving traffic offences, such as no right or left turns, no entries, blocking a yellow box junction, illegal u-turns and driving in the wrong direction in a one-way street.

But the council has said they will use the ANPR technology to "assist in patrolling CPZs where the majority of parking permits are virtual and enforcement is therefore carried out by checking vehicles registration numbers."

In total, three new Aygo's have been leased but the council has refused to disclose the cost, saying it is "commercially sensitive".

Deputy leader and cabinet member for environment, councillor Clyde Loakes, said: "The council embraces the new ANPR technology which will enable us to conduct our CCTV patrols more efficiently and effectively.

"CCTV enforcement vehicles carry out an important service in protecting the safety of our residents by providing a deterrent against motorists carrying out moving traffic violations, such as making banned turns.

"Similarly, CCTV enforcement helps to prevent irresponsible parking such as ‘keep clear’ zones outside schools and CPZ areas.

"The flexibility and mobility of the cameras in these vehicles allow us to apprehend motorists flagrantly ignoring the Highway Code and putting people in danger."

In April, legislation was passed which banned CCTV 'spy' cars and static cameras from issuing fixed penalty notices for on-street parking offences, but not for moving traffic violations.

Councils are still allowed to use the cars and cameras to issue postal fines for any offences that occur on critical routes, such as zigzag lines and 'Keep Clear' areas outside of schools, bus stops, bus lanes and red routes.

A campaign group set up five years ago to warn motorists of hotspots and expose flaws in council CCTV 'spy' car operations, claims the use of the council's new cars could be illegal.

Steve Baker of The No To Mob, said: "Since the introduction of the Deregulation Act in April, apart from certain exceptions, it has become illegal for councils to issue penalty charge notices for parking via any kind of CCTV, including the use of photographic evidence from an ANPR camera.

"The four exceptions to this are on zig-zag markings outside schools, on bus stops, in bus lanes and on red routes.

"CPZs are definitely not on that list of exemptions, so if any council uses CCTV technology to issue a ticket through the post other than in one of the four areas mentioned, it will be breaking the law."

The council will return the old white Toyota Aygo's once the new ones are fully operational.

New-look CCTV spy car snapped in Walthamstow earlier this week

Trish and Steve Baker of the No to Mob next to an aold CCTV enforcement car in Chingford