Last updated at 12:00, Monday, 11 March 2013

MOVES to abolish free parking in Millom have been branded as “bizarre” and “unnecessary” by town councillors.

Charges will be introduced in the council car park, on Lancashire Road, from April 2, but questions have been raised about the knock-on effect on street parking in the town centre.

Parking for less than an hour will cost 90p, and fees will increase by 30p for each additional hour up to four hours. Four hours or more will cost £2.80.

Brian Crawford, Millom town councillor and mayor elect, said: “Parking enforcement in Millom is like all other enforcement from Copeland Borough – non-existent. You can visit all areas of Millom where parking permits are required and you will not see any permits displayed but nobody gets fined.

“How they expect to enforce these new parking payments is beyond me, especially when any money they make will be used up paying for the hours spent by someone travelling from Whitehaven to collect fees.

“When fees were charged the last time, the car park was hardly used with the Tesco car park being full all day with train commuters, Tesco workers and Millom business people leaving their cars there all day.

“A major complaint by the South Copeland Disability Group, of which I am a founder member, is that people park in disabled parking bays without permits and park next to dropped kerbs in Millom.’’

Councillor and former mayor Doug Wilson warned that a lack of enforcement on the car park could mean people just ignoring the charges.

He said: “The people who do park there without paying will be there for a short time and I don’t think they will get caught.”

Cllr Wilson said the move could encourage more people to illegally park in the town, using resident-only parking spots and disabled bays.

He said: “I think the council will find it difficult to prosecute anyone. The signs for the restricted spaces aren’t properly maintained and people don’t know where they are.”

A spokeswoman from Copeland Borough Council promised that a parking attendant would be regularly checking the situation on the Millom car park to ensure drivers had tickets.

Enforcing parking regulations on side streets falls under the jurisdiction of Cumbria County Council.

A county council spokeswoman said: “There are seven wardens operating on a rotational basis in the two areas, including Millom, and this number is the same as previous years.

“Any potential increase in on-street parking will be taken into account by our highways team, and we encourage anyone with concerns about on-street parking or illegal parking to contact their local county council highways office.”

First published at 12:50, Monday, 11 March 2013
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk