FLINTSHIRE County Council has responded to claims it is "wasting" money on traffic wardens.

New figures have revealed the authority has spent over a million pounds on traffic wardens since 2018, with a fraction of that coming back in parking fines.

Of the £1,032,475 spent on Civil Enforcement Officers, the council only brought in £328,268 in fines.

Flintshire Council state there was reduced enforcement activity during the pandemic.

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Sam Rowlands MS, Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Local Government, said: “This is an awful waste of taxpayer’s money.

“Flintshire Council leaders should urgently review this spend and stop wasting money, especially when the returns are so poor."

Katie Wilby, Flintshire Council's chief officer for Streetscene and Transportation, said: “Flintshire County Council currently employs eight environmental and civil parking enforcement officers.

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"They are responsible for a range of enforcement activities including fly tipping, littering, dog control, public space protection orders (PSPOs), abandoned vehicles and side waste, and car parking enforcement is just one element of their roles. 

"Our small, busy multi-functional team work over a seven-day period across the whole of the county covering all of these enforcement activities. 

“When much of the country was in lockdown or faced restrictions due to the pandemic, enforcement activities were suspended and the enforcement officers were redeployed to support other essential services during this time; consequently, no enforcement activity took place between February 2020 and September 2021.”