CCTV 'spy cars' used to catch people who park illegally are to be banned, the government announced, marking a victory for drivers and shoppers.

The move will rein in 'greedy councils' who use the method of fining as a 'cash cow', and bring to an end the 'plague' of tickets being issued by post.

Parking wardens will instead have to fix tickets to windscreens, making it illegal for councils to issue penalties to drivers using just the CCTV spy cars currently used for on-street parking enforcement.

Councils will still be able to use the CCTV to issue postal tickets for any offences that occur on critical routes, suchnear schools and bus lanes, bus stops and on red routes.

There has been a marked increase in the use of CCTV to enforce parking regulations since it was introduced under Labour in 2004, and nine million parking fines are now handed out by local authorities in England every year, raking in £1.3bn in 2010.

The ban is being introduced to rein in 'over-zealous parking enforcement practices', which the government says has forced people to shop in out-of-town centres or online, and give motorists and local shops a'fairer deal.

Communities secretary Eric Pickles said: 'CCTV spy cars can be seen lurking on every street raking in cash for greedy councils and breaking the rules that clearly state that fines should not be used to generate profit for town halls.'

The ban follows a three-month consultation.