Episode 1

Undercover journalists have been allowed to issue illegal parking tickets in an investigation into the private parking industry.

No checks were made on the identities of researchers working for the BBC Wales X-Ray programme before they issued a legally enforceable parking ticket to a car parked on a piece of wasteland in Newport, south Wales.

The investigation raises questions about the regulation of the multi million pound industry. The company which allowed the researchers to issue the ticket were accredited operators of the British Parking Association and used information on the DVLA database to issue tickets.

One company has been suspended by the DVLA, and the BPA has launched an investigation.

The AA has condemned the case as “shocking” and called for better regulation of the private parking companies.

Researchers on the programme contacted regulated parking companies who were offering free “self-ticketing” services. The companies allow landlords to police their own land under the scheme – taking photographs of cars parked on their land and sending them to parking companies who can access sensitive DVLA data and issue tickets. All the companies advertised cash incentives for each ticket issued.

Two companies sent contracts to the programme team.

Chester-based Park Watch didn’t make any requests for evidence that the researchers had a right to issue tickets on the land – even through the team contacted them using a false postal address on a webmail address created just hours earlier. They did ask for a map of the area, but accepted a mobile phone screen-grab of a Google Maps image with a hand-drawn line around it.

They made an appointment to install signs which they said had cost £200. The BBC team pulled out of the operation at this stage – unwilling to allow the erection of permanent unauthorised signs.

A second company, Manchester-based All Parking Services UK Ltd, just sent the BBC team signs in the post, making no checks on the team’s identity or their right to issue tickets.

Researchers put up the signs behind a parked car in order to take a picture of it. They used a free online app to put details of the car’s supposed location and the time of the “offence” onto the picture. The DVLA then issued the owners address to the parking company and the owner got a £100 parking ticket in the post.

Both companies are approved operators of the British Parking Association and are required to abide by a strict code of practice.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA told the programme: “It’s just shocking that you’ve managed to get so far down the line and nobody has stepped in and gone: ‘This isn’t right’.

“Somebody should’ve stepped in and said we haven’t got the right documentation, we just can’t let you go ahead. That is just simply unacceptable.

“Those who are overseeing the code of conduct have got to tighter regulate those companies that they have under their banner, and make sure that they’re doing those checks and balances even before they’re setting up new sites.”

Park Watch, a trading name of Defence Systems Ltd, say they would have made all the necessary checks on our identity before we were allowed to issue any tickets. All Parking Services UK Ltd say they are co-operating with investigations into the issues the programme raised.

The British Parking Association is investigating and will consider sanctions which could include expelling companies. They plan to ban companies from paying cash incentives to self-ticketers for every ticket they issue.

The DVLA says it has already suspended All Parking Services UK Ltd – so they can no longer issue parking tickets. They refused to comment on the conduct of Park Watch.