A mystery driver’s cunning short cut saw them clock up more than £50,000 in fines last year.

In the London borough of Newham, the driver of a Mercedes Benz managed to pick up 436 tickets in 2022, and has not paid any of them.

Each ticket has now been logged at £130, meaning the mystery driver faces a total bill of £56,680 for illegally driving down a shortcut.

The scheme, brought in to stop drivers using the route as a rat-run between two busy roads in East Ham, hits motorists with fines of around £1million a year.

The survey of local councils revealed scores of drivers have managed to rack up penalties of more than £15,000 in just 12 months.

Some are believed to be tradesmen who accept the fines as a work expense and bill it on to their clients.

Others have rogue number plates, making them difficult to track down.

Many of the fines are for parking, but increasingly councils have been slapping automatic penalties on motorists who stray into bus lanes or take rat-runs that have been closed off to non-local traffic.

In Kensington a Mercedes car with diplomatic plates picked up 104 fines last year for illegal parking.

Total fines were £13,370 before the council managed to seize the car.

But it released the vehicle when the owner claimed diplomatic immunity from fines.

A mystery driver’s cunning short cut saw them clock up more than £50,000 in fines last year.

In the London borough of Newham, the driver of a Mercedes Benz managed to pick up 436 tickets in 2022, and has not paid any of them.

Each ticket has now been logged at £130, meaning the mystery driver faces a total bill of £56,680 for illegally driving down a shortcut.

The scheme, brought in to stop drivers using the route as a rat-run between two busy roads in East Ham, hits motorists with fines of around £1million a year.

The survey of local councils revealed scores of drivers have managed to rack up penalties of more than £15,000 in just 12 months.

Some are believed to be tradesmen who accept the fines as a work expense and bill it on to their clients.

Others have rogue number plates, making them difficult to track down.

Many of the fines are for parking, but increasingly councils have been slapping automatic penalties on motorists who stray into bus lanes or take rat-runs that have been closed off to non-local traffic.

In Kensington a Mercedes car with diplomatic plates picked up 104 fines last year for illegal parking.

Total fines were £13,370 before the council managed to seize the car.

But it released the vehicle when the owner claimed diplomatic immunity from fines.

Outside the capital a motorist in Hove, East Sussex, clocked up 382 £70 fines for illegally parking their Mercedes near the seafront. Officials say the owner had paid just one of the tickets, meaning they still had an outstanding balance of £26,670.

Cllr Darren Rodwell, transport spokesperson for the Local Govern-ment Association, said: “People who persistently park in an illegal manner and rack up large parking fines are behaving in a selfish manner and it is unfair to the millions of motorists who follow the rules.”

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1826539/mystery-driver-shortcut-fines

On 20/11/2023 11:50 am, Simon Mason wrote:

> A mystery driver’s cunning short cut saw them clock up more than £50,000 in fines last year. In the London borough of Newham, the driver of a Mercedes Benz managed to pick up 436 tickets in 2022, and has not paid any of them.Each ticket has now been logged at £130, meaning the mystery driver
faces a total bill of £56,680 for illegally driving down a shortcut. The
scheme, brought in to stop drivers using the route as a rat-run between
two busy roads in East Ham, hits motorists with fines of around
£1million a year.

Gerraway!

> The survey of local councils revealed scores of drivers have managed to rack up penalties of more than £15,000 in just 12 months. Some are believed to be tradesmen who accept the fines as a work expense and bill it on to their clients.
> Others have rogue number plates, making them difficult to track down. Many of the fines are for parking, but increasingly councils have been slapping automatic penalties on motorists who stray into bus lanes or take rat-runs that have been closed off to non-local traffic.

You don't say!

> In Kensington a Mercedes car with diplomatic plates picked up 104 fines last year for illegal parking.
> Total fines were £13,370 before the council managed to seize the car.
> But it released the vehicle when the owner claimed diplomatic immunity from fines.

Heavens forfend!
>
> A mystery driver’s cunning short cut saw them clock up more than £50,000 in fines last year. In the London borough of Newham, the driver of a Mercedes Benz managed to pick up 436 tickets in 2022, and has not paid any of them. Each ticket has now been logged at £130, meaning the mystery driver faces a total bill of £56,680 for illegally driving down a shortcut. The scheme, brought in to stop drivers using the route as a rat-run between two busy roads in East Ham, hits motorists with fines of around £1million a year.

Gerraway!
>
> The survey of local councils revealed scores of drivers have managed to rack up penalties of more than £15,000 in just 12 months. Some are believed to be tradesmen who accept the fines as a work expense and bill it on to their clients. Others have rogue number plates, making them difficult to track down. Many of the fines are for parking, but increasingly councils have been slapping automatic penalties on motorists who stray into bus lanes or take rat-runs that have been closed off to non-local traffic.

You don't say! Oh hang on... you DO say... several times, in fact.
>
> In Kensington a Mercedes car with diplomatic plates picked up 104 fines last year for illegal parking. Total fines were £13,370 before the council managed to seize the car. But it released the vehicle when the owner claimed diplomatic immunity from fines.

Heavens forfend!
>
> Outside the capital a motorist in Hove, East Sussex, clocked up 382 £70 fines for illegally parking their Mercedes near the seafront. Officials say the owner had paid just one of the tickets, meaning they still had an outstanding balance of £26,670. Cllr Darren Rodwell, transport spokesperson for the Local Govern-ment [sic] Association, said: “People who persistently park in an illegal manner and rack up large parking fines are behaving in a selfish manner and it is unfair to the millions of motorists who follow the rules.”
>
> https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1826539/mystery-driver-shortcut-fines

And did you know?

- In Kensington a Mercedes car with diplomatic plates picked up 104
fines last year for illegal parking.
Total fines were £13,370 before the council managed to seize the car.
But it released the vehicle when the owner claimed diplomatic immunity
from fines.

And furthermore:

- The survey of local councils revealed scores of drivers have managed
to rack up penalties of more than £15,000 in just 12 months. Some are
believed to be tradesmen who accept the fines as a work expense and bill
it on to their clients. Others have rogue number plates, making them
difficult to track down. Many of the fines are for parking, but
increasingly councils have been slapping automatic penalties on
motorists who stray into bus lanes or take rat-runs that have been
closed off to non-local traffic.

And in finishing, let me say:

- In Kensington a Mercedes car with diplomatic plates picked up 104
fines last year for illegal parking.
Total fines were £13,370 before the council managed to seize the car.
But it released the vehicle when the owner claimed diplomatic immunity
from fines.

Hmmm... The Nigerian High Commission isn't even IN Kensington.

COMMENT: 28 days ago

Time this diplomatic immunity was stopped, it was originally intended to allow diplomats from foreign countries carry out their duties unhindered, it was not meant for them to escape prosecution for traffic offences, or murder. ENDS

On 20/11/2023 01:52 pm, Simon Mason wrote:

> COMMENT: 28 days ago

> Time this diplomatic immunity was stopped, it was originally intended to allow diplomats from foreign countries carry out their duties unhindered, it was not meant for them to escape prosecution for traffic offences, or murder. ENDS

Why don't you suggest it to your friend the Lord Chancellor, M'Lud?

Simon Mason <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> COMMENT: 28 days ago

> Time this diplomatic immunity was stopped, it was originally intended to
> allow diplomats from foreign countries carry out their duties unhindered,
> it was not meant for them to escape prosecution for traffic offences, or murder. ENDS

The moron author of the post above seems not to care about our own
diplomatic staff that have to work in dodgy countries, of which there are
plenty. It makes them, their spouses and children liable to arrest on
trumped-up charges in order to put pressure on them.

Without diplomatic immunity, the whole system would break down and become
unworkable. And it only works if the immunity is whole.

Cyclists eh? Willing to sacrifice anyone for their own ends.

--
Spike

COMMENT: 29 days ago

By taking a shortcut they are reducing there (SIC) carbon emissions so these fines are just for raising money nothing to do with saving the planet

Reply by ohdearieme.

29 days ago

No, adding to dirty air by driving through.
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