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City Council has taken the unusual step of issuing a ‘personalised parking ticket’ to the owner of a car which has racked up more than nearly 50 fines in less than a year .

The BMW M6 - number place T938KY777 - is a Russian-registered vehicle and has been the subject of complaints from residents and businesses on numerous occasions.

It is often parked on Babmaes Street, completely blocking the West End side street near Regent Street, and has picked up 49 fines, of which only four have been paid.

The council is pursuing the outstanding parking tickets and has issuing the personalised ticket as a final warning before looking to prosecute the driver.

The BMW with a ticket on its windshield

In a letter written to the owner by Sara Sutton, head of parking operations at the council, she warns of “more stringent measures to encourage your compliance” if parking breaches continue.

She writes: “Babmaes Street SW1 is a narrow street which provides access to apartments and local businesses. By parking in breach of the parking regulations you are preventing access to these apartments, much to the annoyance of local residents, and you are affecting the operation of local businesses.

“With Westminster roads often being narrow and difficult for two vehicles to pass, parking restrictions pay a pivotal role in keeping the traffic flowing and easing congestion. When drivers do not obey the rules it has repercussions for both businesses and residents.”

The letter

She says that despite the car being registered abroad, the council does have avenues to pursue payments of fines and goes on to say: “If you continue to ignore our parking regulations and fail to pay for any outstanding penalty charge notices, you will leave us no choice.

"We would like to appeal to you as a visitor to Westminster that you respect our parking regulations and comply with them to ensure that all people who live, work or visit Westminster are not inconvenienced by your behaviour.”

Cllr Heather Acton, head of parking at Westminster City Council, said: “We promote Westminster as a fair and safe place to park, but everyone has a role to play.

“It only takes one thoughtless driver to bring areas of the city to a grinding halt.

“This particular driver has ignored all polite requests, reminders and the fines. We are going to take whatever steps needed to ensure that persistent evaders driving foreign cars play by the rules.”