Victoria Stronach

The measures may form part of the Transport (Scotland) Bill which is at stage 1 in the Scottish Parliament, The Courier reports.

Victoria Stronach, senior solicitor at Miller Hendry, told The Courier: “The keeper liability clause in the new Transport (Scotland) Bill would close what many see as a ‘legal loophole’ in relation to private parking fines.

“It would mean that the owner (or ‘keeper’) of a vehicle would be required to pay the parking fine themselves if they choose not to identify who was driving.”

Ms Stronach added: “In their response to the Bill, the Law Society of Scotland recommended that changes such as this be backed up by a widespread public information campaign to alert drivers to the changes before they are implemented in order to prevent unfairness and avoid frustration among road users.”

A spokesperson for the Scottish government said: “We are working with the private parking industry and the UK Government to ensure that Scotland is fully represented in the development of a proposed new code of practice.

“In addition, we are also considering the issue of extending keeper liability to private parking and what the most appropriate legislative vehicle would be for its introduction.”