Cars with foreign number plates get clamped over illegal parking

Cars with foreign number plates can no longer get away with parking infringements as authorities resort to clamping and on-the-spot fines to curb abuse.

Information obtained from Transport Malta showed that 876 vehicles were clamped between January and September this year.

Enforcement officials have no way of tracing the owners of cars with foreign number plates, a situation that was leading to parking infringements going unpunished.

But a change in the law last year has allowed Transport Malta officials to clamp vehicles.

When a car is clamped, the owner can call a phone number for a Transport Malta official to remove the clamp upon a payment of a €180 fine.

“Transport Malta is doing random patrols and is following up on reports to curtail abuses. TM officials clamp irregular vehicles, or foreign-plated vehicles parked illegally,” a spokesperson for the authority said.

If the owner fails to reclaim the vehicle, it will be towed and additional fees will apply, he added.

The spokesperson said that a vehicle with a foreign plate could only be driven by a non-resident and can circulate on Maltese roads for up to seven months within a period of 12 months.

Cars with foreign number plates belonging to Maltese citizens will also be clamped if parked illegally.