A MAN has been forced to pay more than £600 in parking fines after he failed to evade justice.

The Purfleet man swapped his real number plate for a fake plate when he parked illegally, before trying to avoid the fines by claiming the vehicle wasn't his.

A Traffic Penalty Adjudication Tribunal found in Thurrock Council's favour and the man has been ordered to pay nine fines totalling £630.

Leader of Thurrock Council, Rob Gledhill, said: “This adjudication shows the lengths our officers will go to in order to make sure that those who park inconsiderately do not evade fines. This man’s flagrant attempts to evade justice have failed and now he has been forced to pay the price for his actions.

“Residents should rest assured that we will pursue anyone who attempts to evade a fine with the same kind of vigour shown here, this applies to all fixed penalty notices and not just those issued for parking.

“We are ensuring that we are able publish pictures of anyone who gives us fake details when officers approach them to issue a fine. These pictures will be posted on our website so wrong-doers can be identified and face the consequences of their actions.”