Delivery firm hit with GBP500,000 parking fines

A delivery firm is facing a GPB500,000 bill for parking tickets it claims should never have been issued.

Exel claims it is being swamped by fines from attendants who lie in wait for its trucks taking goods to central London businesses.

They pounce as soon as the trucks park, even though the drivers should have at least 20 minutes to unload, claims the firm. Most of the £100 fines are being issued by Westminster which, despite its claims to have softened its “overzealous” approach, still faces accusations of rough justice.

John Allan, chief executive of Exel, which has an annual turnover of more than GBP5 billion, says he plans to hire independent observers with video cameras to expose the antics of London attendants.

He said the footage would be used to prove that most of the fines received in London were unjust.

“There is no question about it. The law says our drivers have at least 20 minutes to unload and make deliveries,” Mr Allan told the Standard.

But parking attendants have got to know our delivery routes and in many cases are ready and waiting to fine us as soon as our vehicles turn up.

Meanwhile, they blatantly ignore passenger vehicles that have been parked illegally for some time.

“We’re a victim of overzealous parking attendants who do not know the rules of the road and it is a particular problem in Westminster, where we get 72 per cent of our tickets.

“We are facing a half-a-million-pound bill just to do legitimate business in the capital.”

Mr Allan said his company received 99 tickets a week in London on average and that this year’s bill would significantly exceed last year’s total of £346,000.

Other boroughs that dish out a high proportion of “unjust” parking tickets, according to Exel, include Waltham Forest, Tower Hamlets, Richmond and Redbridge.

Exel, whose Tradeteam division carries out 3,700 deliveries to 2,500 London outlets every week, says it has been forced to employ a fulltime member of staff specifically to fight unfair parking tickets in addition to part-time staff.

But still it is unable to keep up with the flood of paperwork. Mr Allan added: “Where we do infringe any laws we are happy to face the consequences but the issue here is that the law is not being applied.”

A recent Freight Transport Association survey showed that parking penalties to delivery drivers in London soared by 78 per cent in the past year.

The cost to companies in fines rose by 86 per cent on average, and industry chiefs said the expense would have to be passed to consumers.

Express delivery firm DHL said fines issued to its drivers increased by 92 per cent last year and John Lewis said its parking tickets rose from 93 to 188, costing it more than £131,000.

Today Westminster said many delivery drivers were still parking in the wrong place and getting legitimate tickets.

“However, if Exel feels drivers get tickets when they are parked legally, they should appeal. We are going to look over tickets issued to them to see what the issues are,” said a spokesman.

Contractor NCP, whose attendants patrol Westminster, said: “We are more than happy to discuss any problems with John Allan.”