MOTORISTS have discovered Blackburn parking attendants' blind spot.

Traffic wardens, employed by the borough council, are usually alert to any driver who overstays their welcome on pay-and-display spaces.

But motorists leaving their vehicles on a stretch of James Street, close to the junction with Ainsworth Street, have found a loophole which enables them to park for hours at a time.

The six-car stretch has been designated as a temporary taxi feeder rank - cabs can wait there until a spot becomes free on the main rank on Ainsworth Street - but motorists can choose to buy a short-stay pay and display ticket.

Waiting there is clearly limited to between half an hour and one hour, between 8am and 6pm daily.

But the parking ticket machine nearest to the disputed bay is currently out of order although within a 20 yard radius, elsewhere on James Street, Ainsworth Street and Regent Street, there are four working pay and display machines.

However traffic wardens have been spotted giving cars there a wide berth as they make their town centre rounds.

Shortly after ignoring a row of cars without tickets on Wednesday night, the same warden gave a penalty notice to a white refrigerated van, parked a short distance away.

Critics say that the mix-up proves that council bosses have lost control' of parking in the town centre.

Taxi drivers have also been left furious as they are having to queue on the road between James Street, Ainsworth Street and Regent Street as they struggle to find a spare spot.

Mohammed Younis, chairman of Blackburn Hackney Carriage Association, said: "This has been going on for weeks.

"People have been complaining about it because the traffic wardens should have been issuing tickets to these cars.

"But they are being allowed to park there for free. It has become a big issue and it needs sorting out with the council."

Labour leader Coun Kate Hollern said: "With them changing their minds on free half-hour parking in the town centre and now this it seems that the coalition is losing control of this issue in the town centre."

Coun Alan Cottam, the council's executive member for regeneration, said: "The council, recognising the pressures of the hackney carriages business, and their input into the town centre economy, allowed the use of this pay and display bay, free of charge, as a trial feeder rank.

"The priority, however, was always to maintain the bays as pay and display to allow other road users the facility to park.

"Unfortunately, the pay and display machine relating to this part of James Street has broken. When this happens and there is another machine on that strip of road it is feasible to expect the customer to use the second machine.

"When there is only one machine and it breaks down we would permit vehicles to park without paying for a ticket.

"Tickets under the legal order are not transferable from street to street so whilst another machine on Regent Street may be local and working it will state Regent Street on the ticket and, therefore, is not valid on James Street.

"We have made arrangements for the repair of the broken machine and this will be done as soon as possible."