PARKING problems are plaguing residents across Bicester, while fake warning stickers on cars are confusing drivers accused of ‘illegal’ parking.

A phantom ticketer has been targeting residents in Kings End, threatening drivers with towing and impoundments for parking on grass verges.

But residents say they have not been parking illegally and in one case a driver has been forced to report those responsible for criminal damage after the super-glued ticket damaged his van.

One of the victims is Ashby Road resident Joe West who said he, his fiancé and father have all been hit with the rogue tickets, which are not from the council, a private firm or police.

He said: “I just don’t understand, we have parked on the grass where we are not imposing on anyone walking by or across anyone’s driveways.

“I looked into it and have spoken to the local police who told me it is not illegal to park on the grass as long as you are not imposing on anyone.

“It all started before Christmas and I have had several of the tickets since, I have lived here all my life and never happened before.”

Mr West said the most recent stint was in the past few weeks and a number of his neighbours had been targeted too.

This includes families in Ashby Road and neighbouring Leach Road, which residents say has suffered with poor parking facilities for the past few years.

Mr West added: “It is so hard to park on our street, so there is no option but to park on the grass.

“I have no idea who it is but I would like to think it is not a neighbour as it is quite a quiet road and everybody knows each other- it is a nice neighbourhood.

“I was not really bothered about it initially as it was just a sticker here and there and for example with my fiancés car it left the stickiness but that rubbed off.

“It is now that the stickers are being stuck on with what looks like super-glue on my work van that it has become frustrating.”

Mr West has reported the tickets to Thames Valley Police for criminal damage after the damage.

The tickets stuck to car windows and bonnets state ‘Violation: This vehicle is parked illegally and is hereby subject to towing and impoundment’.

Another victim of the warnings is neighbour Chelsea Bloomfield, 23, said: “It has only happened to my car once and it was just the sticker that could be peeled off.

"But there is a really bad problem with parking down here as there are a lot of families and everyone has so many cars nowadays.

"It has been a growing problem over the last couple of years but we haven’t had the problem with these tickets before now."

Oxfordshire County Council highways authority, Cherwell District Council, Bicester Town Council and Thames Valley Police have all confirmed the tickets have not been issued from their teams.