A Perthshire parking warden was pinned between a car and a van after trying to write a ticket, while another’s family was threatened by a furious motorist.
These were two of the shocking incidents faced in a rising toll of violence against the staff patrolling the area’s streets.
A total of 70 verbal and physical assaults were suffered by the Perth and Kinross parking attendants while on duty in 2011.
The figure, obtained by The Courier after a freedom of information request, is almost double the 39 incidences in 2010 and a little under half the 150 logged in the full five-year period between 2006 and 2010.
Scant details were provided of the incidents, including one in September in which the driver threatened to assault the attendant before driving the car at him, trapping him between it and a van.
A driver also revved a car engine and drove ”at speed” at a parking attendant in March, although there was no collision.
In another case an aggressive driver shoved a newly issued penalty charge notice into the attendant’s chest, while another ”threatened to batter” the attendant with a water bottle.
In February, a driver left a car, grabbed the penalty charge notice and, approaching the parking attendant, began ”shouting, swearing and threatening to assault (the attendant) and family.”
An incident in June saw a threat to use a knife, while another the same month included threats against the council employee’s family.
The majority of incidents involved just verbal aggression usually swearing although one chilling encounter saw the attendant followed down the road as the aggressor loudly insulted him.
Two of the abusive tirades included a racist element, while rude hand gestures and ”intimidation” have also been recorded.
A spokesman for Perth and Kinross Council, which took over enforcement duties from the police in 2002, said the introduction of new safety and monitoring equipment has resulted in a rise of reported incidents.
Attendants now wear CCTV equipment on their uniforms, with the recordings admissible in court proceedings, in a bid to cut the violent crime count. They also carry personal radios allowing them instant contact with colleagues and police if they get into difficulty.
He said: ”The safety of parking attendants whilst they are out on the streets is of paramount importance to the council. All of our attendants wear camera recording equipment, which was introduced in 2009 to ensure the safety of staff.
”Evidence of any violent or threatening behaviour may be passed to police with a view to prosecution. The recordings are admissible in court proceedings, and incidents have resulted in court cases against individuals.
”As well as the recording equipment, the attendants are equipped with personal radios and can call for immediate assistance from other attendants or police.”
The spokesman added: “We are committed to using proactive measures such as this to ensure the wellbeing and safety of our employees. Parking attendants are out on the streets to ensure the free flow of traffic, and to ensure that our roads are safe for motorists and pedestrians.
”They should not be subjected to either physical or verbal abuse while carrying out their duties, and we have a zero tolerance approach to this kind of behaviour.
”Every incident of aggression or threat against our staff is logged as a matter of course. We encourage our staff to report every such incident. This helps explain the rise in the number of reports over the last 12 months.”
In total, 11,486 parking tickets were handed out by the Perth and Kinross wardens between December 2010 and November, last year.