Parking enforcement

We’re responsible for enforcing all on-street parking restrictions across Leicestershire. We work alongside District and Borough Councils who are responsible for off-street parking restrictions.

Penalty Charge Notices (PCN) can be issued by Civil Enforcement Officers (CEOs) when parking restrictions aren’t followed. The aim of Civil Parking Enforcement is to make sure parking restrictions are followed so that fewer vehicles are parked illegally. This will help to:

• reduce congestion
• make it easier for people to access parking spaces closer to shops and services
• improve journey times on public transport
• improve access for the emergency services
• allow residents parking schemes to run effectively  

The service provides:

• CEOs on patrol around the streets and off-street car parks in Leicestershire
• the repair, repainting and renewal of traffic signs and road markings around the county
• a centralised administration service for processing PCNs

Vehicles parked on the pavement

If there are no parking restrictions, we are unable to deal with such matters. The parking of vehicles on the pavement or any parking that is considered to be dangerous or that causes an obstruction to the safe and effective use of the highway, is an offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988. Such instances should be reported to the police on their non-emergency number 101. The vehicle(s) must be causing a very real and unnecessary obstruction in order for any action to be taken.

Parking outside schools

Zig-zag markings outside of schools must be kept clear for safety reasons. We use a camera-equipped car to monitor and enforce parking restrictions outside schools.

Using automatic number plate recognition technology (ANPR), the car is used by officers to collect the necessary evidence to issue a £70 Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) to drivers who park on zig-zag lines (known as school keep clear markings).

The car is equipped with an intelligent enforcement system that uses GPS to recognise where restrictions begin and end as the vehicle is driven though a restriction zone.

We have a responsibility to tackle dangerous parking and we will continue to carry out enforcement work across the county to ensure this. These measures will help to:

• act as a visible deterrent to drivers
• improve road safety
• reduce accidents and ‘near misses’

If a car is found to be parked on school keep-clear zigzags, a PCN is sent to the address of the registered keeper/owner of the vehicle. This will be sent by post, within 14 days of the date of the alleged offence.

Parking and Traffic Regulations Outside London (PATROL)

We are a member of The Joint Committee of England and Wales for the civil enforcement of Parking and Traffic Regulations Outside London (PATROL)

Further reading