Council hires new staff to fine kerb parkers

Southend-on-Sea City Council is able fine anyone who drives over a kerb to park

Drivers who mount kerbs to park their cars could be fined.

Southend-on-Sea City Council said it was hiring new staff to crack down on people who damage kerbs by driving over them.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Daniel Cowan, Labour leader of the council, said: "Recruitment is well underway to resource the council's dedicated highway enforcement team."

While no fines had been issued yet, he added that once posts were filled, he expected the number of enforcements to "significantly increase".

Mr Cowan said new staff were being hired to resource the highway enforcement team at the authority

Speaking at a full council meeting on Thursday, Ron Woodley, Independent councillor for Thorpe, asked how many fines had been issued to people who do not have dropped kerbs to park on their premises.

The authority said there had been 114 enforcement reports, 39 site visits and 43 advisory letters sent.

Woodley replied and said that according to estimates from the Highways Department, 80% of residents and businesses did not have a dropped kerb.

He added that it would take "many years" to sort them all out.

In response, Cowan said: "I would just like to point out that whilst I do recognise the issues that Council Woodley is raising here, and the fact that there is a lot of work to do, it is a failure of successive administrations in this council to not take care of it."