PCSOS to fine parents for bad parking

POLICE Community Support Officers are to be given powers allowing them to fine parents who park in restricted areas outside schools.

Kent Police will be giving new powers to the officers, who already have the powers to deal with anti-social behaviour and traffic management, to allow them to issue on-the-spot fines at the school gates.

The powers are currently used by local authority parking wardens but will be rolled out after a review.

The move follows complaints in other parts of the country that parents are parking illegally to pick up their children instead of using school car parks or finding somewhere safe to pull over.