I’m a traffic warden… places you’re most at risk to get a ticket – parents face huge fines just picking up their kids

A TRAFFIC warden has revealed where you are most at risk of getting a ticket - warning that parents face huge fines when picking up their kids.

The official, who works for an enforcement agency employed by a major London borough, warned that pressure to give out tickets meant many of his colleagues target potential hotspots.

Speaking to The Sun Online, on condition of anonymity, he explained how high-traffic areas like schools.

He said: "There is a school within our enforcement area and on many occasions I've come across parents who were literally just picking up their children and they've seen the yellow ticket on the dashboard.

"There's a problem in the profession in that wardens just try to find an easy route to give out tickets.

"So they may lurk outside a school or somewhere like a pharmacy where people are just trying to do something routine so they can issue more.

"Then they can just leave the driver dealing with the headache of appealing the ticket.

"Wardens will just issue a ticket and leave."

He also alleged that wardens are put under pressure by management to give out similar numbers of tickets every day, so many will just give out five or six at peak times and then spend the rest of the day "hanging out with colleagues in the park".

However, he was able to give motorists some useful tips on how to avoid being ticketed on the school run.

He informed us that wardens are required to give "grace periods" of different lengths depending on the restrictions imposed on the road.

For example, in many council-owned car parks, drivers have between 10 and 15 minutes to purchase a pay-and-display permit before being issued a fine.

Our warden revealed that the handheld devices used to print tickets actually have timers on them, which prevent officers from issuing a Penalty Charge Notice until the grace period is up.

He urged parents to contact the council and check its website to see what the grace period is around their child's school and always appeal tickets if they feel they have been given before the time is up.

He also recommended writing to the school's head teacher and asking them to apply to the council for a longer grace period on behalf of the school.

It comes after experts from the RAC shared three tips for cheaper airport parking as prices "rise above the cost of flights".