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 | | Monday, 8 April, 2002, 11:00 GMT 12:00 UK Car towing scheme to change  Towaway trucks have become a regular Bristol sight Motorists could be celebrating after Bristol City Council announced it is to consider revising its controversial car towaway scheme. There has been huge criticism of the policy, and a legal loophole meant that almost �1m has been paid back to drivers. Now an influential council committee has said that towing should only be used as a "last resort" to deal with parking problems. If cars are towed away they are taken to a compound in Brislington, Bristol, where there is a �105 charge to pick them up, with the figure iincreasing if vehicles are not collected. 'Flexible policy' The city council was forced to repay nearly �900,000 to motorists last year. In April 2000, it took over the job of towing away illegally-parked vehicles from Avon and Somerset Police. The cost of the fine remained the same but the council neglected the legal requirement to re-advertise the figure. Between 1 April 2000 and 16 May 2001, a total of 8,500 cars were towed away. The council described the mix-up as a "monumental mistake" in July 2001.
It wants to see clamping, rather than towaway, as an initial punishment for offenders. Councillor Helen Holland said: "Parking enforcement plays a vital role in keeping the city moving. "Parking policies have to be flexible in cities such as Bristol in order to balance the competing needs of businesses, shoppers and visitors alike." The scheme is due to come under review at a council meeting on Thursday, April 11. A council report says: "Towing must not be used as a means of punishment, but primarily as a tool in eliminating obstruction, security risk and other serious hazards." | |   Internet links: The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Top England stories now:  Links to more England stories are at the foot of the page. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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