Traffic wardens to work in groups 'for own safety'

Traffic wardens are to patrol in groups because of threats and abuse, a council has said.

Milton Keynes City Council said staff issuing penalty tickets in Bletchley were "being faced with abuse, threats, intimidation and physical abuse" from thoughtless drivers.

The authority said "civil enforcement officers now have to often work to in groups for safety reasons".

In December, an average of 16 parking tickets a day were being issued by wardens in the Bletchley and Fenny Stratford areas of the city, the council said.

Pete Marland, Labour leader of Milton Keynes City Council, said: "It is completely unacceptable that the council is having to take extraordinary measures to protect staff due to the sheer amount of verbal and physical abuse experienced in this area.

"Officers are being deployed in teams of two and three for their own safety because they are doing work the local community is asking them to do."

More than 2,500 tickets were issued in the Bletchley area this year, the highest number outside the city centre, the authority said.

Wardens were focussing on known hotspots, including Queensway, Duncombe Street, Tavistock Street and Osbourne Street.

Marland said: "We know local people raise anti-social parking a lot when we talk to them.

"Milton Keynes City Council dedicates a lot of resource to dealing with illegal parking in Bletchley, and the very high level of enforcement notices being served throughout the year shows it is an issue we take very seriously."

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