Hartlepool schools parking blitz nets £26,000 in fines
A crackdown on illegal parking outside schools in Hartlepool has resulted in fines of more than £26,000 being levied in just four weeks.
Automatic number plate recognition technology was brought in after concerns from some head teachers about problem parking outside schools.
Hartlepool Council said since the scheme began on 17 May, 438 £60 penalty notices had been issued.
A vehicle fitted with a camera is used to record details of dangerous parking.
Funding of £40,000 for the vehicle and specialist computer equipment came from the council's 2010-11 Local Transport Plan, a pot of capital money provided by the government to fund transport schemes.
The authority's parking services manager Phil Hepburn, said the crackdown had been largely welcomed by parents.
He said: "The feedback from parents has been positive and they seem to be supportive of what we're trying to do.
"We expected a peak in the first couple of weeks and we are actually now seeing more people comply with the parking regulations."
He said cash raised would be used in the council's traffic management budget and could also be directed at creating more parking areas outside some of the more congested school sites.