Foreign supercar owners blamed for £4m in unpaid fines

The council identified several "high-profile" offenders

Drivers of foreign-owned supercars are being blamed for helping rack up almost £4m in unpaid parking fines in London.

Westminster council said in central London supercars were often illegally parked in bus lanes, on double yellow lines and in residents' parking bays.

But the authority is unable to recoup the money as it does not have the power to trace overseas vehicles.

The council wants the law changed to give it access to overseas driver and vehicle registration information.

Selfridges store

According to the authority, foreign-owned cars and motorbikes owe almost £4m in unpaid fines handed out over the past three years, with more than 80% of overseas drivers given tickets refusing to pay for them.

Revealing several "high-profile" offenders, the council said the owner of a £300,000 Rolls Royce Phantom, with the number plate 3HVB, had accumulated 18 tickets and more than £2,000 in fines.

And it said the owner of a £1.2m Bugatti Veyron L'Edition Centenaire, with the number plate 444, had an outstanding ticket for parking outside a main entrance to Selfridges department store in Oxford Street in March.

Kieran Fitsall, of Westminster City Council, said: "The best thing that we can ask for is for the government to do something about this.

"It's not just Westminster that has a problem, it's right the way across the UK. We can't trace these vehicles and they are causing a problem."