Up to 19 new jobs will be created in Southend to help deal with court fines, speeding and parking tickets.

The borough is set to become the central accounts and fine enforcement office for the whole of Essex when the Chelmsford branch closes in the next year.

The department collects all fines imposed by the courts and takes enforcement action if people do not pay up.

Moves are already under way to employ up to 15 new staff in the accounts and fines office while another three or four new jobs are earmarked for the fixed penalty office, which deals with tickets for parking, speeding and other motoring offences.

Both offices operate separately but are housed in Southend Magistrates' Court in Victoria Avenue, Southend.

Richard Hawkes, Essex Magistrates Courts' director of administration, said: "The jobs in the fixed penalty office have come about as part of a national project for dealing with speed camera enforcement.

"The courts are taking part in the project as more proceedings are being taken against speeding motorists, which in turn has an impact on our fixed penalty office in Southend.

"The idea is to increase road safety by increasing the amount of camera enforcement. The extra fines collected as a result will pay for the extra police activity, expenditure and costs to magistrates courts in enforcing the fines.

"For that purpose, we are recruiting additional staff for our fixed penalty office as well."

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