Central Bedfordshire Council introduces fines for idling engines

People could be fined if their engines are left running when parked in Central Bedfordshire

Motorists who leave their engine running while parked could be fined, after a council adopted new legal powers.

Central Bedfordshire Council said the aim was to improve air quality and support its sustainability plan.

Fixed penalty notices could be handed to drivers who let their vehicle idle and refuse to switch it off.

Conservative councillor Ian Dalgarno said officers would "target areas where there are nuisance motorists".

There will be signage outside schools and other areas where there are "high levels of this problem", Mr Dalgarno said.

'Insufficient staff'

Liberal Democrat councillor Peter Snelling referred to walking past a school where "quite a number of vehicles" had their engines running for 20 to 25 minutes on a cold day, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Independent councillor Hayley Whitaker questioned how enforcement officers would deal with pollution monitoring when there were insufficient numbers to manage parking on double yellow lines.

"It's a great idea," she said.

"But my residents would love it if we could enforce double yellow lines in the first place and then put this on top."

Independent councillor Gareth Mackey warned that most of the complaints he received "concern council vehicles or those of contractors and their subcontractors".

"Hopefully we'll enforce this within our house before we get on to the public doing it as well," he said.