Cars with automatic number plate recognition have been used to issue thousands of fines to drivers in Reading over a one-year period.
Reading Borough Council has cars with CCTV cameras that use automatic number plate recognition to enforce parking breaches.
These cars can sometimes be seen patrolling the town centre.
They are officially called ‘approved devices’ and are used to fine people for stopping where they are not allowed, usually along the council’s red route for buses, but also outside schools and in bus stops.
Over a one-year period, 9,792 penalty charge notices (PCNs) were issued using the CCTV enforcement cars in Reading.
A majority of the fines were issued in Oxford Road, with the CCTV cars being responsible for 3,601 fines.
Oxford Road was the only place where more than 1,000 PCNs were issued by the CCTV cars.
In Friar Street, the cars were responsible for 933 PCNs, 579 fines were issued for breaches in Blagrave Street, and 200 PCNs were issued in Recreation Road, Tilehurst.
A total of 9,792 approved device PCNs were distributed to drivers in 2024/25. That is 616 less than the 10,408 issued in 2023/24.
Of those, 9,449 were issued to drivers who were caught stopping along the red route, which bans parking along the route at any time.
From the remainder, 143 were for drivers who wrongfully parked in bus stops and stands, and 200 were for those who parked on ‘School: Keep Clear’ markings.
All of these are classed as ‘higher-level PCNs’ that come with a fine of £70, reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days of receiving a postal notice.
