Jottings
been called in to help recover the money
owed.
But wait, there’s more. Hackney traffic
wardens have been caught parking
illegally to buy ice-cream minutes after
ticketing a pregnant driver in the same
area. The wardens reportedly blocked
the narrow road in their pursuit of
refreshment, preventing a car behind
from passing.
A photographer who was at the scene
alleged that the wardens then got free
ice-cream from the van, which was also
parked illegally, commenting, “It looked
like bribery.” He added that he had
questioned the warden who was waiting
at the ice-cream van about why they had
ticketed one person while ignoring other
parking indiscretions including their
own. Skilfully avoiding answering the
question, they told him that they were
entitled to get ice-cream for their break
and that it was a hot day.
Hackney Council said, “We expect the
highest standards from our traffic
wardens and will look into this
complaint with our contractor.”
The litter of the law
But it’s not just motorists under pressure
in the UK. Litter wardens who issue spot
fines are earning bonuses of up to
£1,000 a month. An undercover reporter
for the BBC’s Panorama programme
filmed them penalising people £75 for
minor offences such as dropping orange
peel or pouring away coffee.
Kingdom Services is a firm which
provides wardens for councils and
reportedly has 28 contracts with local
authorities. Its profits last year rose 30
per cent to £9 million while the number
of tickets issued for littering has risen
from 727 to 140,000 in a decade. The
tickets carry the threat of a criminal
record, and hefty legal bills, if the case
goes to court.
In the programme, one of its wardens
claimed his bonus for one month was
£987 but the company insisted it was a
“competency allowance” and denies its
officers are incentivised to fine as many
people as possible. However, civil
liberties campaigners say the wardens
are acting like “litter Stasi.”
Do as I say ...
David Renfrew used to be Oban’s full-
time parking warden but is now an
“amenity enforcement warden.” (No, we
don’t know either but it’s something to
do with dealing with stray dogs and the
mess they leave behind.) However, he
still has to cope with errant drivers who
park illegally. He apparently “loves the
thrill of booking people,” according to
the Daily Record who quoted a colleague
as saying, “He’s such a jobsworth it’s
unbelievable.” All praise, then, to the ace
Record investigator who visited Oban last
month to meet Mr Renfrew and watched
as he ticketed motorists in the town,
using his blue council van with “dog
warden” on the side. As the amenity
enforcement warden continued to hand
out £60 penalties to miscreants in his
crusade to keep Oban’s streets clear, the
reporter noticed that the van displayed a
number of permits issued by Argyll and
Bute Council. One labelled “On street
resident parking” and another called
“Car park season ticket” both expired last
August. The council said, “This has been
an administrative oversight.”
They walk amongst us
A crack cocaine dealer who ran from
police in Hull was caught out because he
had his name written on the back of his
rugby shirt. Darren Norris was spotted
by police who decided to follow his
silver convertible in April, just a couple
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