Hundreds caught parking illegally at Bradgate Park

HUNDREDS of drivers have been caught parking illegally near Bradgate Park.

A call has been made to try and tackle the issue in Newtown Linford, which gets progressively worse as the weather improves.

The problem was raised by Coun David Snartt at a meeting of Charnwood Borough Council last month.

He said: “There is a huge issue with illegally parked vehicles within Newtown Linford.

“Although improvements have been made to try to overcome the current situation with more visits by street wardens, for which residents are grateful, issues still exist, causing in some cases, highway safety issues.”

Coun Snartt called for enforcement action at peak times for the village of Newtown Linford to recognise the increasing numbers of visitors to Bradgate Park who park illegally on village roads.

He added: “In my view, this issue has been on the increase since Bradgate Park Trust changed its parking arrangements to only a full day parking charge.”

In a written response Coun Margaret Smidowicz said: “On-street civil parking enforcement is the responsibility of Leicestershire County Council and the Street Management Service currently acts as a ‘contractor’ on its behalf.

“I am also aware that this issue is causing a lot of concern for residents.

“The number and level of the patrols is directed by the county council but officers do liaise on a regular basis to ensure that patrols are targeted across the borough and in areas including Newtown Linford as resources allow.

“In 2017 the wardens patrolled Newtown Linford on 222 days, which included every Bank Holiday except Christmas Day.

“A total of 565 penalties were issued during the year.”