War on London drivers as army of traffic wardens hired to boost revenue

Round-the-clock patrols will be mounted on the city's busiest roads as Westminster council increases its number of attendants by 50 to 220.

Westminster, which raised £41 million last year from 686,310 tickets at about £60 a time, is the first to introduce the new inspectors but the move is expected to be copied by others.

The Conservative-run council also plans to axe hundreds of jobs and halve the number of litter bins as it cuts payments to its waste contractor from £35 million to £7 million. Westminster council said: "These ideas will continue to be worked up in the coming months."

Critics accused council bosses of exploiting drivers to fill the black hole created by George Osborne's spending cuts. They also warned that debris will pile up at major tourist spots such as Trafalgar Square, Oxford Street and Covent Garden.

Professor Richard Jackman, a local government finance expert at the London School of Economics, said: "People could take to the streets and I don't see how politicians are going to tolerate a situation where their constituents are up in arms all the time.

"This is worse than the poll tax because people are being hit here, there and everywhere."

Other policies to save money were discussed at a confidential "High Level Group meeting". The leaked documents seen by the Standard reveal how Westminster hopes to save £54 million over three years.

The documents state: "The key issues are the 50 per cent reduction in litter bins" and that "the saving comes from a smaller number of bins to collect and a reduction in the frequency of collection rounds".

Other proposals included:

* Westminster's workforce slashed by two thirds to 500 people.

* Parks and children's centres run by volunteers.

* The borough's archives services shut down.

Mary Creagh, Labour shadow for the environment, said: "We will see a huge problem in some landmark spots as rubbish piles up and bins overflow.

"It will lead to problems with rodents and flies and a general degradation of the street scene, which will not be good for attracting tourists and shoppers to the West End. We already see what happens with litter at big events."

Westminster's leader Colin Barrow said: "Some of these ideas will be developed and turned into council policy, while others will be disregarded. It's important to stress though that no decisions have been taken and when we do, it will be done with full consultation."

Tony Armstrong, chief executive of Living Streets, said: "Reduced litter collections and reduced numbers of bins are things that people should be resisting." A study by the Campaign to Protect Rural England showed the main reason people leave litter is a lack of bins.

Councillor Lee Rowley, Westminster council's cabinet member for parking, said "every penny" of surplus income collected from parking is reinvested straight back into major transport projects.

He said: "Westminster council has introduced the first compliance based' parking contract in the country which seeks to educate rather than penalise drivers.

"This new style smart enforcement will ensure the council is better informed and can work with motorists in parking trouble spots, including reviewing the use of signs and lines in particular problem areas or working to help motorists understand the rules of the road."

In October's Comprehensive Spending Review George Osborne slashed £3.1 billion from town hall funding.

The fall in Whitehall grants to London's 33 councils will amount to just over £400 for every person in the capital by 2014.