Foreign Drivers And Diplomats Owe Massive Parking Fines In London

Palace of Westminster

Foreign drivers owe £1million in parking fines in central London – with Qatar making it into the top five worst offenders for the first time, according to new figures revealed today.

French motorists are the worst repeat offenders, with almost £320,000 owed to Westminster City Council – followed by Belgium on £81,000 and Germany on £68,000 in second and third respectively.

According to the Daily Mail, drivers from Qatar collectively owe £66,000, while Romania retains its position in the top five with total outstanding fines of £49,000. Italy, the Netherlands and Ireland make up sixth to eighth place.

And while Spain and Bulgaria have dropped out of the top 10 list into 12th and 14th place respectively, Qatar and the United States are new entries.

Other countries included in the council’s top 20 list of outstanding foreign debts are the United Arab Emirates, Luxembourg, Serbia, Monaco, Poland, Russia, Kuwait, Switzerland and Saudi Arabia.

It’s not just individual private drivers from overseas who are racking up fines.  Diplomatic missions and international organisations in the UK amassed 5,307 parking fines, totalling £536,289 in the year ended 2014. This figure is dwarfed by 12 years worth of unpaid Congestion Charge fees amounted to over £87m.

Foreign secretary Philip Hammond provided the details in a written statement to Parliament on 16 July.

Follow Simon Kent on Twitter: or e-mail to: skent@breitbart.com

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