Traffic wardens 'couldn't cope' with Blackpool bank holiday parking mayhem

Town hall chiefs have pledged to explore overflow parking options after an influx of bank holiday visitors to Blackpool led to parking mayhem in some parts of the resort.
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Coun Derek Robertson said traffic wardens were unable to cope with the amount of infringements as tourists struggled to find places to leave their vehicles with South Shore the worst hit area.

The Waterloo ward councillor said: “People were parking in every corner including on footpaths and grass verges with the car parks full.

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“People were also parking in residential streets causing residents stress and with only two traffic wardens on duty in South Shore this wasn’t enough to cope.

“With this being the first bank holiday weekend after a long lockdown, it was expected there would be a large get-away to the seaside.

“As much as I welcome the visitors to Blackpool Blackpool needs more parking spaces, and to employ more traffic wardens as many were exhausted after their shift.

“The traffic wardens do a brilliant job keeping our streets safe from dangerous and illegal parking.”

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Blackpool Council said there were between eight and 11 parking wardens on duty each day of the bank holiday weekend moving around the town, with more than two on duty in South Shore.

Coun Mark Smith, cabinet member with responsibility for parking, said: “The combination of good weather, a bank holiday and the Covid restrictions relaxing meant Blackpool was exceptionally busy this weekend.

“Despite having thousands of car parking spaces across the town, this weekend was one of the rare occasions they were all full.

“By early afternoon every day all of the spaces were full which unfortunately led to some people choosing to park illegally.

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“We know this has a knock on effect to local residents and appreciate how frustrating it must be. It is also very concerning to us from a safety point of view.

“We had a full team of civil enforcement officers on duty the whole weekend and they commented that it was one of the busiest weekends they had ever experienced.

“Given that we are likely to see increased volumes of visitors over the summer months, particularly when the weather is good, we are urgently exploring options for overflow parking areas.”

Images shared on social media show cars parked on grass verges, and with parking tickets issued for illegal parking.

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