How to send photos of and report illegal parking to Cheshire Police

Operation Park Safe is a project which allows members of the public to report parking issues online through the Cheshire Police website.

As part of the scheme, residents can upload videos and photographs of offending vehicles to the website, where they will be assessed by an experienced traffic officer, who will triage and deal with any dangerous parking offences.

Any minor traffic obstructions or community impact issues will be allocated to PCSOs or beat officers to deal with in an appropriate manner.

The operation was piloted across Crewe in January, and it will now be rolled out force-wide from today, Thursday.

Sergeant Russell Sime said: “Road safety is always an important issue to members of the public, and I am pleased the pilot of Operation Park Safe was successful, and it will now be rolled out force-wide.

“Since we launched Operation Park Safe in January in Crewe, we have already received more reports of parking offences in Crewe than we received in the whole of 2023.

“We cannot be everywhere, so this initiative relies on the help of active citizens to aid us in making the roads safer.

“It is also important to note there are some offences which do not come under our control, however we will always try our best to resolve parking issues.

“We hope residents will make use of this initiative so we can all work together to make our communities a safer place to live.”

Residents will need to do provide a written statement about the offence, including the date and time it happened. This can be completed electronically.

You will need to provide your name, address, date of birth and contact details, and you may be required to attend court if the matter is contested.

Do not challenge the driver or get involved in confrontation, or put yourself at risk to obtain a photograph.

Parking on yellow zig-zags is forbidden

Cheshire Police’s Roads and Crime Unit will triage the report and will deal with the person responsible.

This may include issuing fines or educational courses depending on the severity of the offence committed.

Offences officers will deal with include vehicles parked on or in a crossing area, such as areas covered by zig-zag lines, and parking on white lines.

People cannot stop or park on a road marked with double white lines, even when a broken white line is on your side of the road, except to pick up or set down passengers, or to load or unload. This includes the pavement or verge.

Other situations include forcing pedestrians to walk in the road, not leaving enough room to get past, parking at or on a junction, zig-zag or keep clear markings at schools or on a cycle track.

Parking a goods vehicle on the road is also enforceable, as vehicles with a maximum laden weight of more than 7.5 tonnes cannot park on a verge, pavement, or any land situated between carriageways, without police permission.

The only exception is when this is essential for loading and unloading, but the vehicle cannot be left unattended.

Officers cannot deal with single and double yellow line offences, as these are council parking enforcement only, and pavement parking where there is still room for pedestrians to get past without having to go into the road.

To report parking issues as part of Operation Park Safe, visit cheshire.police.uk/park-safe

John Dwyer, police and crime commissioner for Cheshire, added: “It is great to see Operation Park Safe rolled out across Cheshire so soon after an initial trial.

“This just proves how effective it is in tackling illegal parking, and I hope residents across the county feel even more confident in reporting incidents.

“Making Cheshire’s roads safer is a priority in my Police and Crime Plan, and the county-wide use of Operation Park Safe is a great example of the police working closely with residents to make this happen.”