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Parking problems

Parking problems in Sunderland - a special report

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Inside Out reveals that Sunderland's car parking enforcement system is out of control in an exclusive undercover operation.

We uncover examples of racism, abuse and apparent incompetence, and ask if managers know what is going on.

Inside Out has uncovered worrying evidence, obtained by putting a journalist as a trainee into Sunderland's National Car Parks.

We took our camera into NCP because we've been told that the parking system in Sunderland is out of control.

Picking on drivers?

Each year more than 20,000 parking tickets are issued in Sunderland city centre.

The main offences are drivers parking on yellow lines and
overstaying in bays.

But one of the complaints we've heard a lot is that the city's parking attendants are picking on drivers.

People on Villette Street in the city centre are convinced that it is being targeted unfairly.

They agree that there is a problem with illegal parking in this busy street.

But our undercover filming showed one parking attendant bragging about making an example of Villette Road.

Elsewhere in the city another said he had knifed the tyres of a driver who'd complained about him.

Parking attendants are supposed to uphold the law, yet this one appears to have just admitted to damaging a car.

NCP deny their attendants would commit criminal damage, and Tim Cowen, Director of Communications, is clear about the action they would take:

"The first thing we'd do if anybody ever complained about this sort of thing to us would be to suspend the Parking Assistant.

"We would have an internal investigation, and if there was any substance to the allegations, we'd call in the police."

Disabled drivers

Blue badge holders - disabled drivers - complain they get a raw deal in Sunderland.

We talked to one disabled driver, Eric Brittain, whose ticket troubles started when he parked on yellow lines at a health centre.

Disabled drivers - given a hard time by attendants?

He got a ticket, because he'd displayed his badge and forgotten to put out the clock.

Eric says that he should have had a warning and the Council bungled his appeal.

Eric's fighting on - he has taken his case to the Ombudsman, although he's now been offered a refund.

He says that the Council and NCP should never have let it get to this.

But Inside Out also witnessed a deeper problem with car parking attendants' attitudes to disabled drivers in Sunderland.

We captured a parking assistant's cruel impersonation of a disabled driver on camera, as well as verbal abuse of people with disabilities.

Racist abuse

Inside Out witnessed complaints about racist abuse in the heart of Sunderland's Bangladeshi community in Hendon.

Tafazzal Hussain told Inside Out how the parking attendants put tickets on cars, even though they have residents' permits.

Inside Out's undercover filming reveals strong evidence of staff behaving in a racist manner, and examples of racist comments about Hendon during a team briefing.

NCP claims it has never had any complaints in Sunderland about racism on the part of its car parking attendants.

If presented with such evidence, it says that it will look at it and respond accordingly.

On the beat

Back on the beat, our undercover man discovered that attendants are supposed to log each street which they patrol into a hand held computer.

That's what the contract with the council says they must do.

But in reality we found evidence that they click onto streets they haven't patrolled while they have a cigarette.

They also click on streets which they can't be bothered to patrol.

Tim Cowen from NCP says:

"I'm not sure that ever happens to be honest. If any complaint were made to us about an individual Parking Assistant who was doing that kind of thing, or any manager... again, we'd investigate it in the normal way."

Serious questions

NCP and Sunderland Council must operate a competent, fair and impartial parking system - this is the duty they accepted when the police handed them responsibility for parking in the city.

Neil Herron claims there are "no management controls"

Inside Out has uncovered evidence of racism, abuse, and apparent incompetence which suggests that there isn't just a problem with one or two bad apples - it's much bigger than that.

After recent complaints the Council has tried to reassure motorists:

"All parking attendants are fully trained"... and the council "would take a serious view about any discourtesy to the public in the course of their duties."

But our investigation raises serious questions about the way the parking enforcement system was set up and managed in Sunderland.

Sunderland Council responded to our allegations as follows:

"We have received no reports of the serious allegations the 大象传媒 is making. We are concerned that allegations are being made relating to the service standards of parking attendants in the city without being provided with any information to enable us to investigate them.

"If anyone has a complaint of racial harassment or discrimination of any kind, they should report it to NCP and to the Council to enable it to be investigated properly.

"Decriminalised parking has been reviewed in the city and all appropriate action is being taken to ensure that the system remains lawful and enforceable, encourages the best use of the parking spaces available and keeps traffic flowing safely through the city for residents and business.

"The Council has acted transparently in making refunds in appropriate situations."

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