Fines warning to drivers ahead of new patrols

DRIVERS in much of East Lancashire were today warned they would receive no grace from the county's new council-employed traffic wardens -- with fines issued from the first day they hit the streets.

Lancashire County Council -- which takes over enforcement of traffic regulations from the police on September 5 -- has decided not to give drivers a period of grace.

Blackburn with Darwen Council has announced that when it takes control of regulations for the borough -- on October 1 -- it will only issue warning notices to drivers for the first fortnight.

Lancashire County Council said its 90-plus wardens -- who will cover 12 district council areas including Burnley, Pendle, Rossendale, Hyndburn, Ribble Valley and Chorley -- would issue practice notices during their training period this month.

But with the official transfer of power from police to the county council not taking place until September 5, the notices will have as much clout as if any member of the public stuck a note on the car.

Kevin Almond, networks policies manager at Lancashire County Council, said: "We need to issue tickets from the start because the service has to pay for itself.

"Warning notices may appear on some cars as part of the training process but there will not be a period of grace.

"Drivers have nothing to worry about if they don't park against regulations."

But a spokesman for the Association of British Drivers said: "What they seem to forget is many regulations haven't being enforced for a long time.

"People may not even realise they are doing anything wrong, and suddenly they get fined.

"Drivers should at least get the chance to move their cars. It sounds like another excuse to fine quickly."

In Blackburn with Darwen, 20 new parking staff have been recruited to start work on October 1.

Coun Andy Kay, Blackburn with Darwen Council's executive member for regeneration and the man responsible for parking enforcement, said: "There certainly will be a warning period where people get some sort of notice.

"We are not trying to penalise motorists, we want free-flowing traffic.

"This is not about penalising people.

"We are trying to show people how bad parking can cause disruption. We are not just trying to make money."

He insisted his borough's parking wardens have no targets or bonus on offer for numbers of tickets issued and that any surplus revenue would be directed to public safety and improved traffic and transport schemes.