EXCLUSIVE: Traffic wardens flout social distancing rules and prompt fury as they dish out parking fines in near deserted streets of central London
- Despite only a smattering of cars, traffic wardens are still out on London streets
- Three wardens were seen walking side by side on streets in Westminster
- Flouting the social distancing guidelines, they were seen laughing and joking
- Hector Cisneros, 56, was among those to be given an £80 parking ticket
- Westminster City Council raised £69 million from parking fines last year
Traffic wardens are flouting social distancing rules as they dish out parking fines on the near deserted streets of London during lockdown, MailOnline can reveal.
Strolling slowly through the city centre, three Westminster City Council marshals appear more interested in targeting motorists than listening to the medical advice.
The wardens were spotted chatting and joking as they patrolled the almost empty streets around Horseferry Road, central London, last week.
They were spotted by launderette owner Hector Cisneros who had driven into town to make ensure his shop was open for vulnerable clients.
Traffic wardens are flouting social distancing rules as they dish out parking fines on almost deserted London streets during lockdown, MailOnline can reveal
They were spotted by launderette owner Hector Cisneros (right) who had driven into town to make ensure his shop was open for vulnerable clients
The day before he had been slapped with an £80 fine for straying just a few minutes over time on a parking meter nearby.
And his frustration turned to anger when he saw the group of wardens failing to observe the strict social-distancing rules.
‘I couldn’t believe it,’ Mr Cisneros, 56, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, told MailOnline.
‘It’s bad enough that Westminster are still giving out tickets during the lockdown. I was only a couple of minutes late and the streets are empty.
‘I had driven into London to make sure my shop was open for my clients. Launderettes are an exception to the lockdown because it is essential for people to be able wash their clothes.
‘But these wardens appear to think they can make up their own rules on social distancing and just meet up and stroll down the road together in groups.’
Westminster City Council raked in a staggering £69 million from parking fines last year – the highest amount in the UK.
Officials said there was no excuse for their traffic wardens to ignore social distancing rules and that they will raise the issue with their parking contractor.
But the council maintain parking attendants played a vital role in keeping the streets free of obstruction and the traffic moving, although they have introduced a more flexible approach to enforcement.
Health care workers and other frontline staff are asked to put NHS documents or a letter on headed note paper on their dashboards to avoid fines.
Residents who are self-isolating can also contact the council about parking.
Strolling slowly through the city centre, the three Westminster City Council marshals appear more interested in targeting motorists than listening to the medical advice. The wardens were patrolling the empty streets around Horseferry Road, central London, last week
Westminster Council said there was no excuse for their traffic wardens to ignore social distancing rules and that they will raise the issue with their parking contractor
A Westminster City Council spokesman told MailOnline: ‘We have a statutory duty to keep our streets moving and free of obstructions that could hinder emergency services and the delivery of essential supplies and services, such as waste collection.
‘We also need to ensure there are suitable and adequate parking facilities, which is especially important for frontline health workers at the current time.
‘We are also not charging frontline NHS workers and care workers to park and, until further notice, they can stay without time limit in pay-to-park bays across Westminster.
‘We will be speaking to our parking contractor about reminding staff of the importance of social distancing rules and would like to thank MailOnline for bringing this to our attention.’
Westminster is the richest borough in the country with some 12,000 of its 255,000 residents earning over £150,000 a year, along with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, according to a study commissioned last year by easyMoney.