People who park their cars in places they should not in Leeds are being targeted by a brand new spy car.

Leeds City Council has deployed a 'spy car' that roams the city looking for cases of motorists leaving vehicles in illegal spots, meaning it is not only traffic wardens and parking attendants who are responsible for penalising those breaking the law.

The spy car is on trial for two weeks and has been specially allocated to parts of Leeds where bosses feel parking around schools is a problem, while late at night it tends to focus on the city centre.

According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, the council has looked at where the highest number of complaints about illegal parking have been made by both police and local residents and sent the Smart car to these locations.

However, not everyone has been quick to praise the introduction of the spy car, with some campaigners suggesting many drivers in Leeds will not feel they have been treated fairly if they are given a penalty after being caught by the vehicle.

A spokesman for the AA said: "Smart cars and camera vans are not particularly well liked and certainly for local authority enforced offences, especially parking. These vehicles are often positioned where some drivers wouldn't see them until it's too late."

Under the terms of the trial, tickets will not be issued during the initial two-week test, although warnings will be handed out to anyone who is found to have parked illegally.

A spokeswoman for the council said it is keen to send the spy car to places that typically attract a high number of complaints and see what the result is.

Changes to parking charges in Leeds have been in the news in recent times even before the arrival of the spy car, as the council decided to clampdown on motorists by making them pay to leave their cars in the city centre on Sundays and in the evening.

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