Barking and Dagenham Council's Parking Enforcement Team has upgraded its fleet with 20 new low-emission scooters, improving patrol coverage across the borough while supporting the council's environmental ambitions.

The new Lexmoto Aura 125 scooters have replaced an ageing fleet of mopeds that had been in service since 2019. 

While the previous vehicles provided reliable daily service, increasing maintenance requirements and downtime meant replacement was needed to ensure the team could continue to operate efficiently.

The new scooters produce lower emissions and offer improved fuel efficiency, helping to reduce the environmental impact of the service while delivering value for money.

As well as replacing older vehicles, the investment has increased the operational fleet to 20 scooters allowing more trained officers to be deployed across the borough, improving patrol coverage and helping the team respond more quickly to parking issues reported by residents.

The enhanced fleet will also increase the visibility of enforcement activity, reduce response times to complaints and concerns, and help ensure parking issues are dealt with in a timely and effective manner.

Councillor Syed Ghani, Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety said: "Investing in a modern and reliable fleet will help our Parking Enforcement Team continue to provide an effective service for residents across the borough. 

“These new scooters are not only more environmentally friendly and cost-effective to run, but they will also help officers respond more quickly to parking concerns.

The fleet upgrade forms part of the council's ongoing commitment to delivering efficient, sustainable, and high-quality services for residents.