RESTRICTIONS in a busy Witney car park must become clearer to prevent drivers falling foul of the rules, according to one motorist.

Paul Hart, from Carterton, successfully appealed a parking ticket received in February after parking in the wrong area of the Woolgate car park due to signage that is ‘nigh-on impossible’ to read.

Most spaces in the car park, on Witan Way, allow a three-hour stay, but Mr Hart mistakenly parked in a section with a maximum time of one hour.

West Oxfordshire is known for its free parking, but a Freedom of Information request (FOI) from the Witney Gazette revealed well over 1,000 Penalty Charge Notices (PCN’s) have been issued this year in Witney’s three short-stay car parks alone.

More than 10 per cent of those were challenged, although it is not yet known how many were successful.

Mr Hart was well within the three-hour stay that applies to the rest of the car park and believes others have fallen into the same trap.

He wants bigger parking signs and the road markings repainted in the Woolgate and hopes West Oxfordshire District Council takes action.

He said: “I was shocked to see a ticket when I returned.

“Witney has a reputation for free parking, which was in the back of my mind. They should redo the signs and have the lettering in big and bold so it’s visible.

“At the moment, there’s so many laws that when you get to the punishment it’s in small letters.

“Signposts are supposed to be there so you can’t miss them.

“It is also nigh-on impossible to make out there is paint on the road, let alone realise what it says there.”

Mr Hart appealed his PCN in February and again in June, before finally winning the case when it went to an independent adjudicator in August.

The notice is £50, or £70 for more serious contraventions, with any extra funds raised spent on local roads and traffic management.

But Mr Hart believes the council’s time could have been better used.

He said: “When a member of the public has put in a good case and is determined they are correct, is it really worth chasing them for a few pounds?

“It’s costing them money to argue.”

Witney has three short-stay car parks, with 440 spaces in Marriott’s Walk, 780 in the Woolgate and 88 in the Windrush Leisure Centre.

The FOI request found the district council issued 1,078 PCNs for overstays in Witney’s short stay car parks up to October 31 this year.

This is on track to beat the 1,154 issued in the whole of 2017.

Meanwhile, 118 PCNs were challenged up to the end of October this year, compared to 154 last year.

Despite Mr Hart’s successful appeal, the district council maintained the Woolgate was appropriately signed.

A spokesperson said: “The car park is regularly inspected to ensure it is appropriately lined, signed and in good repair.

“This car park is also inspected by the British Parking Association and holds a ‘Park Mark Award for the Safer Parking Scheme’. The council maintains that the signs and lines are clearly visible and readable.”