TRAFFIC wardens could be punished for giving out too many dodgy tickets, the leader of Ealing Council has warned.

Cllr Jason Stacey said that new contractors hired to enforce parking regulations in the borough, APCOA, could be hit financially if there were too many complaints from residents about parking tickets.

The move is a bid to clamp down on over-zealous wardens who, in the past, received bonuses for issuing fines over their alloted targets.

Cllr Stacey said: "One of the biggest complaints we get is about over-zealous traffic wardens.

"We will punish them based on the number of tickets they get wrong.

"We are taking the emphasis away from them slapping the ticket on and hoping for the best.

"What we want is tickets that are issued correctly."

Vinci Park Ltd, the contractors employed under the previous Labour administration, earned bonuses of up to £9 for each ticket issued once they had reached a target.

"That would explain why they would be so over-zealous in issuing tickets," said Cllr Stacey.

"We want to take away that emphasis."

Under the new guidelines, there will be no financial incentives to issue tickets, but rather bonuses will be given if certain "performance indicators" are reached, such as if the number of ticket appeals drop below a certain number.

The council hopes this will cut out the number of dubious fines issued.

"This will still raise money for the council," said Cllr Stacey.

"But we will give them bonuses through the year if there has been a marked decline in the number of wrong tickets issued.

"If they deliver a really bad service, however, they will get zero."

Cllr Will Brooks, cabinet member for the environment and transport, said: "This will mean the new contractors will only concentrate on vehicles which really deserve tickets instead of thinking about how they can rake in some extra cash."

There will be 13 more traffic wardens in the borough once the new team takes over in October, and council bosses say the contract will save around £400,000 a year.

bmbridger@london.newsquest.co.uk