Road blockers face crackdown (From Warrington Guardian)

Road blockers face crackdown

POLICE in Northwich have vowed to put a stop to persistent illegal parking on a busy town centre road.

Every day motorists on Weaver Way ignore road markings and signs prohibiting them leaving their car there and it would appear few face punishment for doing so.

People popping to the shops have left the road blocked for large goods vehicles making deliveries, causing traffic tailbacks on Town Bridge and even as far as Winnington Lane.

PC Steve Jones, from Northwich Community Action Team (CAT) said: "This causes no end of problems for delivery drivers and other road users and I'd urge those responsible to be considerate and park only in allocated places.

"From past experience, we agree the main culprits are people calling into the town centre."

But he rejected claims by some residents that police had done little to address the problem.

Policing of Northwich roads changed in 2004, with every police officer now enjoying powers to issue penalty notices as part of a targeted patrol team, replacing the single unit that enforced traffic rules before.

PC Jones said: "Every effort is made to enforce the many parking restrictions in place across Northwich and we have in fact recently issued fixed penalty notices on Weaver Way."

And perpetrators have been warned to expect a further crackdown in the near future.

PC Jones added: "We will not hesitate to issue tickets to people who flout the regulations and PCs and special officers will be doing just that over the coming weeks."