Motorists who have three unpaid parking and traffic fines risk having their cars clamped or towed away.

Under new powers given to London's boroughs and Transport for London today, officers can clamp or remove any vehicle belonging to a persistent evader.

The aim is to tackle drivers who persistently commit such offences as driving in bus lanes and blocking yellow box junctions.

TfL's top 20 persistent evaders have 1,712 unpaid parking and traffic fines. Under the new powers all outstanding penalty charges will have to be paid before a vehicle is returned.

Safeguards have been included to protect motorists who might have recently bought a car from a persistent evader and officers are not allowed to clamp or tow away a car if it is parked in a driveway.

The chairman of London Councils' Transport and Environment Committee, Daniel Moylan, said: "The vast majority of motorists abide by the rules. They will quite rightly not be happy that others have been able to get away without paying a penalty despite continually breaking the rules."

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