THE council's plan to publish exact details of CCTV enforcement car locations on its website has been dismissed as a publicity stunt by a campaigner.

The authority has announced it will reveal the exact locations and times of its CCTV cars on its website on a weekly basis.

It is believed the council will be the first in the country to make the information public.

Cabinet member Cllr Bob Belam said the scheme will reduce accidents as people will drive more carefully if they know where the cars are.

But not everybody is convinced the plan will work.

George Panteli, 53, of Harold Road, Leytonstone, two years ago won a campaign to get an illegal box junction removed, and is a firm critic of the council's traffic and parking policies.

He said of the new scheme: “It is a total waste of time.

“Nowadays drivers know they have to be aware of where the CCTV cars are and whether they put the times up on their website is neither here nor there.

“This is just about the council trying to make itself look better – trying to justify the fact that the cars are there just to make money.

“Today's driver is like a hunted animal, we are constantly worried about where we can turn, where we can park and where we have to stop.”

But campaign group Big Brother Watch praised the scheme, saying it will encourage compliance rather than merely trying to catch motorists out.

The borough uses six vehicles mounted with cameras to catch people committing moving traffic offences, such as stopping in box junction.

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