Pictured: BMW that has racked up SIXTY parking tickets in a year by blocking exclusive West End street

'Usual spot': The BMW M6 parked illegally in Babmaes Street
Westminster City Council
Ramzy Alwakeel13 November 2015

A luxury sports car has been parked illegally across an exclusive West End street 60 times in a year, driving neighbours to distraction.

Officials from Westminster Council have ticketed the BMW M6, which has Russian plates, on average more than once a week – but its owner has left the “vast majority” of the fines unpaid, racking up £6,780 of debt.

Incredibly, that represents nearly half the total parking debt owed by Russian nationals in the entirety of Westminster.

Exasperated workers and residents in exclusive Babmaes Street, off Regent Street, have begged the council to take action after being repeatedly blocked in.

The cheeky motorist has even taken to placing old tickets on his windscreen in an attempt to evade further bills.

In one letter to Westminster City Hall, a resident writes: “The driver has become abusive and rude when we have asked him to stop leaving his car here.

“It is a small road and access can be extremely difficult with his parked vehicle, and sometimes he blocks the front door entrance to the flats or the car park.

“The traffic wardens ticket this vehicle on a regular basis, but clearly the owner takes no notice of these tickets.

“Incidentally, when he parks the car, he places a previous parking ticket on the window so as to try and prevent further tickets being issued.”

The council has had just four of the fines paid, it said, and has now sent the driver a lengthy letter telling him his car could be seized – even though it is not registered in Britain – if he carries on.

Westminster has also instructed a specialist foreign debt recovery team to begin proceedings against the Russian driver if he does not cough up the cash.

“Babmaes Street is a narrow street which provides access to apartments and local businesses,” Westminster’s parking chief Sara Sutton wrote in the letter.

"By parking in breach of the parking regulations you are preventing access to these apartments, much to the annoyance of local residents, and you are affecting the operation of local businesses.

“We are aware that your vehicle is not registered in the United Kingdom and therefore you may assume that this excludes you from the possibility of prosecution.

“However, there are lines of prosecution the council can follow that will allow us to transfer either a judgment or proceedings to a foreign court, enabling a more a robust response including, but not limited to, the issue of a county court judgment and the removal of goods to the value of the debt.”

Westminster’s top councillor for parking Heather Acton added: “We promote Westminster as a fair and safe place to park, but everyone has a role to play.

“It only takes one thoughtless driver to bring areas of the city to a grinding halt.”

  • Do you know who the driver is? Call Ramzy Alwakeel on 020 3615 2126

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