大象传媒

Undercover journalists have been allowed to issue illegal parking tickets in an investigation into the private parking industry.

No checks were made on the identities of researchers working for the 大象传媒 Wales X-Ray programme 聽before they issued a legally enforceable parking ticket to a car parked on a piece of wasteland in Newport, south Wales.

The investigation raises questions about the regulation of the multi million pound industry. The company which allowed the researchers to issue the ticket were accredited operators of the British Parking Association and used information on the DVLA database to issue tickets.

One company has been suspended by the DVLA, and the BPA has launched an investigation.

The AA has condemned the case as 鈥渟hocking鈥� and called for better regulation of the private聽 parking companies.

Researchers on the programme contacted regulated parking companies who were offering free 鈥渟elf-ticketing鈥� services. The companies allow landlords to police their own land under the scheme 鈥� taking photographs of cars parked on their land and sending them to parking companies who can access sensitive DVLA data and issue tickets. All the companies advertised cash incentives for each ticket issued.

Two companies sent contracts to the programme team.

Chester-based Park Watch didn鈥檛 make any requests for evidence that the researchers had a right to issue tickets on the land 鈥� even through the team聽 contacted them using a false postal address on a webmail address created just hours earlier. They did ask for a map of the area, but accepted a mobile phone screen-grab of a Google Maps image with a hand-drawn line around it.

They made an appointment to install signs which they said had cost 拢200. The 大象传媒 team pulled out of聽 the operation at this stage 鈥� unwilling to allow the erection of permanent unauthorised signs.

A second company, Manchester-based All Parking Services UK Ltd, just sent the 大象传媒 team signs in the post, making no checks on the team鈥檚 identity or their right to issue tickets.

Researchers put up the signs behind a parked car in order to take a picture of it. They used a free online app to put details of the car鈥檚 supposed location and the time of the 鈥渙ffence鈥� onto the picture. The DVLA then issued the owners address to the parking company and the owner got a 拢100 parking ticket in the post.

Both companies are approved operators of the British Parking Association and are required to abide by a strict code of practice.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA told the programme: 鈥淚t鈥檚 just shocking that you鈥檝e managed to get so far down the line and nobody has stepped in and gone: 鈥楾his isn鈥檛 right鈥�.聽

鈥淪omebody should鈥檝e stepped in and said we haven鈥檛 got the right documentation, we just can鈥檛 let you go ahead. That is just simply unacceptable.

鈥淭hose who are overseeing the code of conduct have got to tighter regulate those companies that they have under their banner, and make sure that they鈥檙e doing those checks and balances even before they鈥檙e setting up new sites.鈥�

Park Watch, a trading name of Defence Systems Ltd, say they would have made all the necessary checks on our identity before we were allowed to issue any tickets. All Parking Services UK Ltd say they are co-operating with investigations into the issues the programme raised.

The British Parking Association is investigating and will consider sanctions which could include expelling companies. They plan to ban companies from paying cash incentives to self-ticketers for every ticket they issue.

The DVLA says it has already suspended聽 All Parking Services UK Ltd 鈥� so they can no longer issue parking tickets. They refused to comment on the conduct of Park Watch.