Thousands of motorists have been slapped with fines after being detected breaking driving laws by a specially adapted CCTV car.
Motorists in Reading have fallen foul of the ingenious tool with number plate recognition cameras equipped to the roof of the white Peugeot.
Latest data has revealed a staggering 10,102 fines were issued through the vehicle between 2022 and 2023.
However, the statistics reveal the vast majority of road users punished by the cameras were guilty of breaking the same law.
A massive 9,659 penalties were awarded over one year for simply stopping their car along the special red route which was installed back in 2018.
This section bans motorists from parking their vehicles at any time and was installed in a bid to improve bus journeys.
Oxford Road was the most affected street in the city with a whopping 5,271 Penalty Charge Notices (PCN) dished out to road users stopping on the artery.
Wokingham Road was the second most affected area with over 1,000 fines awarded to motorists using this stretch.
Friar Street was next with 947 penalties followed by Blagrave Street (558) and Kings Road (347).
Stopping on the red route was not the only offence picked up by the CCTV cameras with hundreds more pulled up for other issues.
According to the data, a total of 329 fines were awarded to road users parking at bus stops.
Meanwhile, a further 114 charges were handed to drivers parking at ‘School Keep Clear’ road markings.
Previously, it has emerged that Reading’s CCTV car is only programmed to look for these three issues.
This means the technology cannot be used to spy on drivers breaking other rules inside their vehicle such as using a mobile phone.
The latest data set was unveiled in the council’s Parking Services annual report released this week.
Motorists caught by the CCTV vehicle are handed a £70 fine which can be cut down to £35 if paid within 21 days.
Despite the huge number of fines handed out, figures showed this was around 2,000 fewer penalties than the year before.
