School parking fines: Hundreds given penalties in North East Lincolnshire

CCTV was first installed at Signhills Academy in Cleethorpes in 2022

Almost 340 fines were issued to parents over a three-month period for parking illegally outside four schools in North East Lincolnshire.

CCTV cameras were put up at a number of schools after North East Lincolnshire Council said too many people on the school run were parking dangerously.

A total of 339 penalty charge notices (PCNs) were issued between 1 July and 30 September 2023, the authority said.

Officials said it had proved to be an effective deterrent.

CCTV was first installed at Signhills Academy in Cleethorpes in 2022.

The scheme has since been extended to include Old Clee Primary Academy and Welholme Academy in Grimsby, and Queen Mary Infant and Nursery School in Cleethorpes.

The council said bad parking was creating a dangerous environment for children

Ron Shepherd, portfolio holder for safer and stronger communities at the authority, said: "We've seen a really positive improvement in road safety since the scheme was introduced in September 2022.

"Whilst we are seeing a number of fines continuing to be issued due to drivers not parking as the restrictions require, we have seen a change in how people drop off and collect their children.

"At Signhills Academy for example, we initially saw a number of fines issued, but since then that has dropped as people have changed their behaviour, and this is something we're hoping to continue to see at other sites."

The cameras automatically detect and enforce parking breaches at the "keep clear" signs outside the schools.

Drivers caught stopping on the yellow zig-zag lines will be fined £70, discounted to £35 if paid within 14 days.

The data is contained in a recent council report, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

It says just 4% of the 339 PCNs issued had been cancelled.