PENDLE Council wants to shake up a controversial parking scheme by cutting traffic wardens' working hours, setting up a local appeals process and bringing in a 30-minute leeway.

The ideas have come from local authority chiefs who insist the under-fire Parkwise scheme is changed in response to public complaints.

An urgent review of traffic wardens in Pendle has resulted in councillors saying that the rules must be altered.

The review began after the council threatened to pull out of the parking crackdown over fears it was upsetting motorists and damaging businesses.

The tough line taken by council-employed wardens has led to criticisms that councils were using Parkwise as a money-making scheme.

Pendle councillors have also branded the wardens "rude" and "foolish".

At a meeting of the council's decision-making executive, Coun Sonia Robinson, who oversees highways issues, said it was important the scheme was amended.

She said: "Although we can't alter the scheme county-wide, we can influence the way it works on our car parks."

The changes include reducing the hours of attendants by 20 per cent, introducing a 30 minute leeway for people to display discs and setting up a local appeals process.

Plus, councillors want parking disc dispensers to be provided in car parks and Pendle Borough Council logos removed from all Parkwise material.

Coun Robinson added: "The County Council don't allow their name on the paperwork, and neither should we.

"I hope these changes will have a positive effect on parking problems.

"But we'll keep the situation under review and make further changes if they are needed."

Councillors were told that customer care training had been recently introduced by NCP, the contractors who employ the attendants, satisfying their concerns over wardens' attitudes.

The scheme, run jointly by Lancashire County Council and borough councils, started last September when enforcement responsibility was handed from police to local authorities.

A Lancashire County Council spokesman said: "Pendle Council has not contacted us to discuss the review of the Parkwise scheme so it would be unfair to comment on the changes they want implementing.

"We look forward to discussing the proposed changes with them once they contact us."