Companies from across the borough are calling on the council to “stop persecuting” motorists who unwittingly fall foul of parking regulations.

Barking and Dagenham Chamber of Commerce has welcomed a government initiative, outlined last month before parliament was dissolved for the general election, giving motorists a 10-minute “grace period” to avoid an immediate fine when parking tickets run out.

Announced alongside a raft of other measures, then-transport secretary Eric Pickles also banned CCTV cameras from being used for parking enforcement – with exceptions for outside schools, at bus stops or in “Keep Clear” zig-zag lines.

“This is an excellent initiative,” Chamber of Commerce committee member Jamie Banks told the Post.

“We hope that the council will take note of the guidance and stop persecuting motorists who inadvertently fall foul of a parking regulation, or whose transgression is for a reasonable reason and is inconveniencing no-one.

“There are a great many situations in this borough where the parking rules are unclear, unreasonable or are unfairly enforced.”