Councils are gathering £8million a year in parking and motoring fines with a fleet of new camera cars.
A study by Big Brother Watch found just 54 of the modified Smart cars have punished an astonishing 188,000 motorists.
The survey found 31 councils across Britain have versions of the popular town car modified with a 15ft mast and CCTV camera.
Only 25 were able to provide figures but they showed they raked in £323,000 each at a rate of £188,000 per car.
Officials park the spy cars at known “hot spots” where they video motorists. Specialists later trawl through the footage looking for offenders.
Most of the 31 councils that operate the cars are in London. Ilford in east London admitted it bought one of the £40,000 cars specifically to monitor “inconsiderate” parents parking outside schools.
Greater Manchester’s car is used to catch drivers “using their mobile phones or being otherwise distracted”.
Haringey in north London says it uses CCTV cars to catch parking violations as well as traffic offences.
Dylan Sharpe, of Big Brother Watch, said: “The car represents a very dangerous escalation in Britain’s surveillance society.”
You can avoid having to pay high London parking fees and fines and find free parking in London by using the Tube and our text service to find free parking near tube stations outside the congestion zone.
Simply text the word Parking and the name of a tube station OUTSIDE THE CONGESTION ZONE to 80039 and you’ll receive a text back giving you three locations near the tube, or the one closest to it on the same line.