Last updated 19:45, Thursday, 19 June 2008

A COCKERMOUTH man who got a parking ticket in the town’s Market Place has claimed it was unfair because new signs were unclear.

John Weir, 52, of Slatefell Drive, parked outside Little Basil Thai and Chinese Takeaway, while he went to get his hair cut.

When he went back he found a £70 parking ticket on his windscreen because he had parked in a disabled bay.

Since the beginning of the month, Allerdale council has handed out 14 parking tickets in Market Place.

It is not known how many have been challenged as they are still within the 28-day period for appeals, but it is understood that people have complained at the Town Hall.

There are three parking bays outside Little Basil.

The outer two are for disc parking, and the middle one is for disabled parking, but Mr Weir claimed this was not clear.

He said: “I thought it was someone winding me up. There were others in the bay. I was the fifth one parked there, but the rest didn’t get a ticket and they didn’t have a disabled badge.”

Mr Weir said that other disabled bays around the town had a disabled sign painted on the bay.

He added: “It is misleading. If someone sees a painted wheelchair, they don’t park there.

“It is confusing for all of the town. Is this three disabled bays, or just one? To put a disabled bay in the middle is the worst place.”

Alan Smith, Allerdale councillor, said: “It is madness. There are two signs and people are confused. It is a complete disgrace at the moment and it needs to be tackled.”

Town and Allerdale councillor Eric Nicholson, a member of Cockermouth Partnership behind the £1.2million regeneration of Market Place, said: “Traffic wardens have been going around with an easy approach to tell people how they work. Then from Monday they were enforcing it. We have to give it time.

“There are three separate bays. There were different parking regimes put into Market Place and that is why there is a mixed bag of parking in a small area, so signs need to be read carefully.”

Meanwhile, there have been complaints about parking on the town’s Isel Road.

Edna Foster, of Oaktree Crescent, has been in touch with Cockermouth town clerk, David Bertram, about parked cars.

She said it was making it difficult for emergency vehicles and other vehicles to get to the cottage hospital.

Mr Bertram has written to Cumbria County Council with Mrs Foster’s concerns.

Highways senior traffic engineer Ed Noble said the situation will be monitored.

He added: “We carried out a review of the Cockermouth traffic regulations orders just over a year ago, and following consultation with the public, adding some waiting restrictions on Isel Road which were considered appropriate.

“The recent construction of environmental works in the Market Place, which has restricted the use of Bitterbeck car park, has caused some temporary transfer of all day parkers to the Isel Road/Castlegate Drive area.

“I would anticipate that people will return to the car parks now the work is substantially complete.”