By Amy Orton

Schools in and around Ashby are to get a second camera car which will patrol outside the gates in a bid to prosecute parents who park illegally during drop off and pick up times. 

Ashby School, Ashby Hill Top Primary School, Ashby Willesley Primary School and Donisthorpe Primary School have all been earmarked.

Leicestershire County Council already has one car that it sends out during the morning and evening school runs in an attempt to prevent problem parking. 

The vehicle, which is fitted with automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems, is driven by officers who can gather evidence to issue £70 fines to motorists who park up in keep clear zones.

There are now 155 schools in Leicestershire with the markings needed for prosecutions to be issued and posted to parents or carers that park up on zig zag lines. 

Plans to send out a second car were revealed at a meeting at County Hall last week, with the success of the scheme cited as the reason for its expansion.

Blake Pain, county council cabinet member for environment and transport, said: "We know that inconsiderate and dangerous parking outside schools can be a real problem, and we believe that the use of the camera car has been a major deterrent and a big boost to road safety. 

"We want to re-iterate though that this is not about catching and fining motorists – we want people to stop parking inconsiderately near schools as it endangers the lives of pedestrians and causes a great deal of concern for schools and parents."

Since the camera car started patrolling in September 2018, there have been 305 fines issued – 178 of which between  April 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019.