THE council could soon be dishing out a lot more parking tickets on the streets of Swindon.

Traffic wardens can only cover so much ground on foot in a set time, but now the parking enforcement team have a new weapon at their disposal - a mobile camera car.

The new vehicle, fitted with a roof-mounted moving camera unit, will be driven around streets where car users require a permit to park.

Using automatic number plate recognition software, parked cars will be run through a database to check whether they are registered and tickets issued to the registered keeper where they are not.

The car and camera set up is owned by a company called Road Flow which describes itself as "the complete, intelligent, enforcement suite". Swindon Borough Council is believed to be the latest in a line of local authorities to contract out services from the firm.

Of course parking fines are already a lucrative source of income for the council.

Last year, on and off street parking across the borough brought in £3.3m worth of profit, a sharp increase compared with the £1.9m generated in 2012.

But many residents complain that despite paying for a parking permit, they find themselves unable to find a space in their allocated zone.

It has been reported as a particular problem in the town centre, Eastcott and Old Town areas where more permits have been issued than there are spaces available.

On some streets, drivers returning home in the late night hours find themselves with no choice but to park up on double yellow lines or in adjacent parking zones due to the lack of available spaces.

A spokesman for Swindon Borough Council explained how the new car would be put into action: “The camera car will be used to help free up parking spaces for residents in permit areas by identifying those cars without a valid permit, which will then be investigated and enforced.

"The car will also be used for enforcement in other areas where there are known parking issues such as outside schools, which will help with safety at those locations.

"The technology of the number plate recognition cameras is also being tested for how it could potentially support virtual parking permits, eliminating the need for the council to issue paper permits in the future."