Cash-strapped councils left to count the cost

Edinburgh: Host to thousands of foreign tourists each year, wrote off £445,045 in unpaid parking fines run up by foreign-registered vehicles over the past two years.

Glasgow: Parking tickets valued at 7,560 were written off by Strathclyde Police between January 2008 and December 2010. A police spokesmen said tickets could not be processed unless the car was registered with the DVLA.

Fife: The council wrote off 2,670 in unpaid parking tickets between April 2008 and October 2010. A council spokesman said: "St Andrews has a higher rate of offences, and foreign drivers, due to the world-famous golf course."

Westminster: 3.08 million fines written off between July 2007 and October 2010. It is estimated that 3.2m is still owed.

Portsmouth: 110,965 written off between April 2008 and October 2010.

Newcastle: 84,470 written off between April 2008 and December 2010.