Last updated 12:41, Friday, 16 May 2008

TRAFFIC wardens will work evening shifts on a trial basis in Maryport in a bid to stop “dangerous” parking.

Police will also be asked for help, which could see beat bobbies issuing more fixed penalty notices for parking offences.

Maryport town council called a meeting about parking after Councillor Carni McCarron-Holmes said it was reaching crisis point.

Stagecoach had threatened to withdraw bus services because buses cannot negotiate some roads because of parked cars.

She said the number of cars in the town meant there were no longer enough residential spaces, people were parking anywhere, and visibility in some areas was a nightmare because of cars and vans parked on junctions and on double yellow lines.

Allerdale council parking services manager Tony Smith said wardens worked in Maryport for four hours a day, during different times in business hours.

He had agreed to bring them in for evening shifts on an irregular basis to try and alleviate the problems in the town.

“It will not be all the time but we could certainly trial it,” he said.

Police community support officers Sam Coiles said police would issue a fixed penalty notice if they saw a vehicle causing an obstruction or endangering other vehicles.

But Mr Smith said that while co-operation at local level was fine, police headquarters had made it clear that parking offences were not a priority for beat police.

He would be speaking to police again to ask for help, as current parking enforcement would do nothing to stop the problems while traffic wardens only worked during the day and concentrated on the town centre.

Meanwhile, when the working day finished people parked wherever they liked.

Coun Angela Kendall said white vans appeared to be the worst problem.

“They park right on corners. You take your life in your hands because you have to get right out into the road before you can see past them,” she said.

Mr Smith said it was possible to restrict the height of vehicles in residential areas but this would cost between £40,000 and £50,000 to enforce for each area.

Cumbria County Council area engineer Andrew Butler said there was “a total oversubscription of cars.”

He said: “People just squeeze in where they can.”

He said that keeping the buses running was essential.