THOUSANDS of Brits have been slapped with fines after being caught breaking driving laws by a hidden CCTV car.
The specially adapted motor carries cameras programmed to detect three specific offences, which raked in at least £300,000 last year.
James AldridgeOver 10,000 Brits were handed fines thanks to a hidden CCTV car last year[/caption]
More than 10,000 motorists in Reading, Berkshire, were stung by the new tech between 2022 and 2023.
The council’s latest figures show that the white Peugeot, which has number plate recognition cameras built into its roof, generated 10,102 fines in that period.
The data showed that the majority of these, a whopping 9,659, were for simply parking on restricted roads.
The council designated the stretch as a red route back in 2018, meaning stopping off for any reason within the operating hours is prohibited.
This was done in a bid to improve the efficiency of bus journeys around the town.
A further 329 penalties were issued to drivers who parked at bus stops, while 114 were handed fines after stopping on “keep clear” road markings by a local school.
These are the only three offences that the cameras are programmed to monitor, meaning they can’t detect issues like mobile phone use or speeding.
Those caught out were issued a £70 penalty notice, which can be reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days.
Even if we assume that everyone fined took the latter option, that still means the single car earned the council in excess of £350,000 over just a year.
However, despite the whopping number of fines, the council revealed that the number of offences fell year-on-year.
The figures show a drop of around 2,000 compared to the 2021/22 monitoring period – when 12,083 penalties were issued.
Reading Borough Council has been contacted for comment.
It comes after experts revealed how four common car mods could see you fail your MOT, given a fine or even lose your insurance.
Meanwhile, a Big Brother star claimed that the brakes on his EV failed as he approached a red light with his wife and kids in the car.