Traffic wardens across the north and north-east have been attacked physically and verbally nearly 100 times over the last three years.
New figures show a shocking rise in the number of incidents since local councils took over from police.
There have been almost 30 assaults and 60 cases of verbal abuse, with the worst offenders in Aberdeen.
But in Inverness, one parking warden was physically assaulted by two men as he inspected a car that didn’t even belong to them.
Highland Council confirmed there had been three cases of serious verbal abuse reported to the court, with one leading to the prosecution of the culprit and the others still outstanding.
A spokesman said: “There have been approximately 20 further instances of minor verbal abuse that have not been reported to the courts.”
Last night, Provost Helen Carmichael said people had taken it badly after enforcement was stepped up following a period of non-regulation.
She said: “We only took over the parking in 2016. There was a period when the police stopped before the council took over that parking wasn’t regulated. When it was regulated again, some people took it quite badly.
“However there is absolutely no excuse for abusing someone who is doing their job. I’m quite surprised at these figures. I know it is not as bad as Aberdeen, but it is not good. Even one assault is one too many.”
Police Scotland said they had no incidents recorded of their wardens being physically or verbally attacked in 2015, or up to October 2016 when the council took charge.
In Aberdeen, wardens have made a total of 25 allegations of physical assault or violence over the last three years. That includes eight in 2015, 11 in 2016 and six up until early December in 2017.
And the wardens made 56 allegations of “inappropriate communication”, with 16 alleged cases in 2015, 27 in 2016 and 13 in 2017.
The city’s deputy provost, Alan Donnelly, said: “Traffic wardens are public servants and there is no justification for violence or abuse against them when they are carrying out their duties.”
In Argyll and Bute, there was one incident reported in 2015 when a warden made an allegation of physical violence, claiming they were pushed and verbally abused. There were a further two allegations of verbal abuse in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
While Orkney Islands Council does not employ traffic wardens, as on street parking there is still the responsibility of police, the authority confirmed it does employ car park attendants who control the parking in council car parks.
There was one report in 2017 by one of the relief wardens of verbal abuse received on two occasions. No reports of any kind of abuse were made in 2015 and 2016.
