Traffic wardens to work in groups 'for own safety' after facing abuse from drivers

Milton Keynes City Council took the decision after its staff issuing penalty tickets in Bletchley faced "abuse, threats, intimidation and physical abuse" from drivers.

According to the BBC, the authority said "civil enforcement officers now have to often work to in groups for safety reasons".

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."

Milton Keynes council staff faced abuse in the crack down on illegal parking. Photograph: Public Domain Pictures

Sixteen parking tickets a day have been issued in Bletchley and Fenny Stratford so far in December, reported local newspaper, MK Citizen.

According to the paper, the number reflects a crackdown on anti-social parking in the town, with enforcement action focusing on "known hotspots."

The Labour council is to invest £30 million to improve the area with new features including permanent preventative parking measures, better lighting and wayfinding, more trees, and bike hub lockups.

Marland said he hoped the area would become "nicer and safer" for people to visit, adding that parking had become an issue. 

Marland added: “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."