This council CCTV car appears to have been caught out after being snapped parked on double yellow lines.

The surveillance car would not hesitate to snap motorists breaking traffic laws - but it did not count on Michael Phillips being on hand with his own camera when it stopped outside Hampton Junior School, in Percy Road.

Mr Phillips said he was so furious with the Richmond Council car he decided to send the photos to the authority. He claimed the mobile CCTV unit put pupils’ in danger by stopping close to a zebra crossing, forcing other traffic to pull out to pass, at about 9am on March 23.

He said: “They were parked almost opposite the main entrance to Hampton Junior School at the busiest time of day for children crossing the road.

“I was concerned because it was obstructing the view of cars right by the main school entrance, buses were having to pull over to the opposite side of the road to get round them.”

He submitted the pictures to Councillor Clare Head, cabinet member for traffic and transport at Richmond Council, who thanked Mr Phillips for telling her about the “very serious matter”.

She said, in an email on March 23 seen by the Richmond and Twickenham Times, that she had stressed to staff they must not break traffic regulations and had asked a council officer to investigate.

But, more than two weeks later, the authority was still unable to explain why the car was parked there.

A spokesman for Richmond Council said: “The fact it is parked on double yellow lines does not mean it was incorrectly parked because there are circumstances where that is allowed. We are investigating.”