A CCTV spy car dedicated to tackling poor parking made £20,000 profit last year.

The car, operated by the South Essex Parking Partnership in Basildon, collected £65,000 in fines from drivers in 2014/15.

But tighter Government regulations could lead to a significant drop in fines issued in future.

The parking partnership controls traffic enforcement in Basildon, Castle Point and Rochford.

But Southend Council, which is a unitary authority, retains responsibility for enforcement on its roads.

Despite the money made from the spy car, overall traffic enforcement in Basildon made a total profit of only £4,110 in 2014/15, compared to £33,310 the year before after all costs are paid.

A parking partnership report blamed the reduction on “higher than expected levels of sickness, staff turnover” and the fact the CCTV car was not in use all year round.

The lease on the existing CCTV car ran out in February, but a replacement was not delivered until April.

On an average day, traffic wardens issue 29 penalty notices in Basildon, seven in Castle Point and 11 in Rochford.

Financial pressures were reflected across south Essex, as the partnership recorded an overall deficit of £11,000 in Castle Point and £19,500 in Rochford. In Rochford, attempts to recruit agency staff to fill vacant permanent roles was unsuccessful.

But the partnership maintained an overall surplus thanks to huge profits in other boroughs – £153,520 in Chelmsford, £176,710 in Brentwood and £9,280 in Maldon.

Fine collection could be hit by a change in the law which means wardens must wait longer before issuing penalty notices.

A new Government policy, which came into force in April, means drivers have a grace period of ten minutes, rather than five minutes, after a ticket expires.

It also limits the use of spy cars to bus lanes, bus stops, keep clear areas outside schools and red routes.

IN Southend, the council, which also operates a spy car, has already slashed the amount of penalty notices it hands out by more than half in expectation of planned Government changes.

In 2014/15, it gave out 2,544 fines, compared to 6,940 in 2013/14 and 6,366 in 2012/13.

A Southend Council spokesman said: “We anticipated the changes the Government wanted to bring in and changed our approach ahead of this in January 2014. The level of enforcement undertaken during 2014/15 reflects the changes made, resulting in the issuing of less penalty notices.”