EXCLUSIVE by Larry Neild and Deborah James, Daily Post
DOZENS of parking attendants are to be given new police powers to prosecute motorists for illegal driving manoeuvres in Liverpool, the Daily Post can reveal.
The city is to be one of the first to take advantage of new traffic laws that allow civilian wardens to issue fixed penalty fines for offences like running a red light.
Liverpool currently has 48 parking attendants and is about to recruit an extra 22.
And town hall officials are to splash out £1m on a new city centre parking offences headquarters, and a computer system to collect evidence from CCTV cameras, which will take digital photographs of offenders' car number plates..
It means thousands of people would face prosecution for offences that are currently only dealt with by police.
That includes driving in a bus lane, sitting in a yellow box-junction, or making a prohibited left, right or U-turn.
Motoring lobby groups last night criticised the plan as a money-making scheme for the council, which collects around £3.3m a year from parking penalty charges according to available figures.
Mark McArthur-Christie of the Association of British Drivers warned the system could make roads more dangerous by forcing people to be pre-occupied with not getting caught, rather than safety.
But safety campaign group Roadpeace, which represents the families of victims of motoring accidents, welcomed the plan.
Member Pauline Fielding said: "Anything that makes the roads safer has to be welcomed.
"If people are driving within the speed limit and not breaking any rules then they have nothing to fear."
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