Parking Mad

As the squeeze on parking spaces continues, this series follows wardens under pressure, bailiffs, drivers and motorists fighting back. We film the winners and losers in hard-fought parking disputes. We watch as councils and bailiffs go after the non-payers, taking cars away and leaving some motorists well and truly stranded. In this episode, Mr Mustard helps a 93-year-old man appeal against a fine he's been given by Barnet Council. Elsewhere, at a roadside operation run jointly with the police, bailiff Debbie has to confiscate a van. In Lincoln, we meet the team dealing with parking in an increasingly busy city centre. Residents in a quiet Sussex village take direct action to stop London commuters parking on their road, which happens to be right next to the station. And in Devon, a businessman develops the world's first talking parking ticket

West Bromwich residents are up in arms over losing the parking spaces outside their own homes - to the police. The council's representative braves the wrath of the residents at a public meeting and has a helpful suggestion to make, but will the residents accept? In Devon, one resident drives all over the county trying to ensure that the council sticks to the letter of the parking laws. On a roadside operation in Croydon, the bailiffs try to get £516 off a man who says he only has a pound. Meanwhile, in Selby, local businesses and residents are outraged at the new stricter enforcement of parking controls that sees the number of parking tickets (PCNs) issued increase fivefold.

At a roadside operation, bailiffs use automatic number plate recognition to identify and stop cars with outstanding fines. Bailiff Debbie tries to get payment of over £500 from a man who insists he has already paid the original fine, but has he? Later on, the driver of another car, who is stopped for unpaid fines, soon finds himself in deeper water. In south London, blue badge fraud investigator Steve arranges for a car to be towed away, but the driver arrives just as the car is lifted onto the lorry, and she is not happy. And in Lyme Regis, the car parks are full to bursting as visitors pour into the town to see the Red Arrows.

Bailiffs Alan and Paul find a car in Worthing that has 22 outstanding parking tickets on it - will the driver be able to pay the fines, worth over £3,000, and keep his car? In Horsham, parking campaigners Mike and Matt use their own money to buy tickets for motorists when their own run out of time. In Islington, London, the Black Beret, a masked parking campaigner, is taking the council to court over the wording on its tickets - if he wins, it could mean that the council will have to pay £90 million back to motorists.