Bedford Driving Lessons

Millions of motorists’ personal details have been sold to ‘parasite’ parking firms and even rogue clampers by a Government agency in a trade generating £43.9million so far. More than 18million names and addresses have been passed to the private sector in the past five years by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency so that they can be issued with fines, the Daily Mail has learned. It follows a row last year when access to the database was to be used in an advertising campaign for Castrol. It was halted after complaints about improper use of the data and the DVLA’s assertion that it had not authorised its use. The lucrative trade in drivers’ details underpins a parking ‘enforcement’ industry on private land worth an estimated £1billion Private parking companies can get a driver’s name and address simply by submitting the vehicle registration number and filling in a form confirming that they are pursuing an alleged parking offence. The DVLA charges £2.50 a time for details from its ‘confidential’ database of 38million drivers. Then car owners who have parked outside supermarkets, hospitals, hotels, airports and stations can be pursued for fines and fees often in excess of £500. Income from the trade has risen every year from £4.7million in 2004-5 to £9.2million for 2009-10. Motoring groups are alarmed at evidence of the sensitive data falling into the wrong hands as a result of parking, clamping and other barely vetted firms and individuals buying the details. More