PARKING wardens are being given body cameras after dozens of drivers became violent and aggressive after being handed fines.

From Monday, each of the 51 North Essex Parking Partnership (NEPP) wardens will be equipped with the cameras.

The partnership is led by Colchester Council and covers the borough as well as Braintree, Tendring, Epping Forest, Harlow and Uttlesford.  The move is in a bid to reduce the amount of abusive behaviour parking wardens are subjected to on the street.

Since April 2015, the partnership has recorded 66 violent and aggressive incidents, 28 of which were reported to Essex Police.

But only nine of these resulted in police action due to a lack of evidence.

Parking bosses say the video and audio evidence collected by the cameras will be made available to the police and courts to support action being taken against drivers.

Robert Mitchell, chairman of the NEPP, said: "The partnership takes the safety of its staff extremely seriously and will not tolerate abusive behaviour towards its staff.

"The NEPP’s joint working committee decided to provide its [civil enforcement officers] with these cameras, to ensure their protection and wellbeing at work.

"Evidence from the cameras will also enable us to investigate any allegations made against our staff – which has not been possible previously."

The parking wardens will only activate the cameras when they think they are at risk or are likely to be subject to verbal or physical abuse.

The cameras will never be used to gather evidence on parking enforcement.

The full roll-out follows a trial last year, which saw 11 wardens in Braintree and Uttlesford kitted out.

During the month-long trial, wardens there reported eight instances of violent and aggressive behaviour from motorists who had been fined.

The partnership's counterpart in south Essex, which covers Chelmsford, Basildon, Brentwood, Castle Point, Rochford and Maldon, was the first to bring in the cameras after wardens there reported 95 incidents of serious verbal abuse or physical assault between 2013 and August 2015.

Some 26 of the incidents were deemed serious enough to involve the police, with some resulting in arrests and charges being brought.

The majority, however, resulted in verbal warnings due to lack of evidence.