Serious offences such as drink-driving or travelling at a dangerous speed in built-up areas deserve to be severely punished.

But fines for minor parking infringements are already grossly disproportionate and will be rendered even more unjustifiable and less understandable by the latest “reforms” being introduced today.

The idea that leaving a car a few minutes too long in a parking bay warrants a fine of £80 or even £120 is quite absurd. Divide these sums by 10 and you would be left with a more reasonable penalty.

If the Government really cared about safety and driving standards, it would go after the owners of the two million uninsured cars on our roads instead of treating the legitimate majority as cash cows.

But the average fine for outlaw drivers who get caught and prosecuted is £169. As well as being the equivalent of just a couple of parking tickets, that is far less than the combined cost of insurance and a tax disc that law-abiding motorists pay every year.

Yet again the story under Labour is of Middle Britain being squeezed while a criminal underclass is treated with kid gloves. Things cannot go on like this.