SOUTHEND’S controversial spy cars are here to stay - yet will focus less on parking on double yellows and instead concentrate on making the roads safer.

The use of the CCTV cars in the town has been reviewed after their first year of operation during which time 10,067 fines were issued.

Despite 60 per cent of the fines coming from yellow line contraventions a report to Southend Council’s economic and environmental scrutiny committee suggests in future the spy cars will only be deployed in exceptional circumstances for this.

This includes persistent contraventions which are seen but cannot be ticketed due to the location and where car dealers operate particularly along London Road.

Tony Cox, cabinet member for public protection, said: “The CCTV cars have always been for safety and to improve traffic flow.

“They’re not to generate income and the fact the number of tickets have decreased shows that. We’ve seen a greater compliance which is why this is decreasing.

“We had a lot of complaints about car dealers parking cars on London Road and we’ve helped free up the road here and it’s been successful in tackling dangerous parking outside schools.”

The report to be discussed on Thursday (29th) shows decreases in complaints about residential parking issues, congestion on key routes, bus operator complaints and complaints about verge and footway parking and complaints about cars parked in bus stops and taxi ranks.

However the cars led to a rise in complaints about receiving a fine for illegal parking, complaints from blue badge holders and from local businesses operating in residential areas.

The number of appeals and assaults on wardens also rose.

Concerns from disabled drivers prompted the council to encourage wardens to pull over and check if there is a badge while they are working with disgruntled businesses.

Resident Roger Hutchinson who sparked a Traffic Penalty Tribunal’s investigation into a ticket he refused to pay welcomed the review and proposals.

Mr Hutchinson was given a £50 fine on December 15 after parking one of his cars on a single yellow line outside his home in Willingale Way, Thorpe Bay, while attempting to swap its place with another vehicle.

He said: “This is what the cars were first implemented for, on the advice of the secretary of state.

“I have no argument for the cars being used in the form they were supposed to be used - the more serious parking on zig zags, outside schools and in dangerous situations.

“Until now the cars have been too indiscriminate.”

The meeting will also discuss the possibility of introducing the use of the cars at weekends and on the seafront during the peak season. It will examine the benefits of adding automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) within CCTV cars.