If you've been slapped with a parking fine recently, you might want to think twice about pushing the ticket under the doormat and avoiding payment.
MPs are currently reviewing legislation which would see bailiffs acquire the power to force entry into your home to collect debts owed, the Daily Telegraph reports.
A study being carried out by the Department for Transport is examining whether a system whereby debt collectors chase unpaid fines, similar to a criminal penalty, would work.
Currently, failure to cough up for a parking ticket can see your car taken away or items taken from the car owner's home, but with prior consent given for entry.
Edmund King, executive director of the RAC Foundation, described the proposals as a "real concern".
"There have been many cases where, for example, someone's car has been stolen," he told the newspaper.
"They get a ticket, write on it that the car has been stolen and send it back. The next thing they know is when a bailiff turns up on their doorstep."
With the potential for an ominous knock at the door coming at any moment, car owners would be well advised to park properly - or at least buy a new chain for their front door.