A RESIDENT forced to park on double yellows due to a lack of available parking has hit out at his local council, saying it is issuing fines ‘like they are going out of fashion’.

Chipping Norton man Jamie Webber said like many other residents in the town, he has no driveway and is therefore forced to rely on street parking.

He said that before the coronavirus pandemic, people commuting to work would mean there was a ‘natural rotation’ of cars, meaning a parking space could usually be found.

However, with more people working from home, Mr Webber said the number of cars parked on the street has gone up dramatically.

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“This has forced myself and some of my neighbours who still have to travel to work and return late to not be able to park anywhere other than on a double yellow,” he said.

“There are literally no spaces available anywhere close to our street.

“It really is the case if you get home after 4 or 5pm, then you are buggered.

“People are being sensible about it, allowing space for emergency vehicles and not obstructing the pavement but the council is being brutal about it and is relentlessly issuing fines.

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“West Oxfordshire District Council [WODC] has failed to take these extraordinary circumstances into account and is still issuing parking fines like they are going out of fashion.

“During the first lockdown when the situation was the same, the council did actually start issuing warnings rather than tickets for a short while, because it was clear there was an unprecedented amount of parked cars.

“However, this time the council has just kept unfairly fining people.”

Mr Webber said he had received three fines from the council, adding WODC should be showing ‘a little leeway during the pandemic’.

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The council’s cabinet member for the environment Norman MacRae said the town has two free car parks which he urged residents to use if experiencing problems.

Mr MacRae, whose role sees him oversee car parking, said: “Parking enforcement on the street ensures safe movement for emergency vehicles, motorists and pedestrians.

“The suggestion that it is safe to park on double yellow lines is highly questionable.

“Anyone receiving a penalty charge notice has the opportunity to challenge by writing to the team who will take all mitigating circumstances into consideration.

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“We have continued to monitor our two free car parks in Chipping Norton which have a total allocation of 195 spaces.

“They are not at full capacity and we would urge residents with limited parking availability to make use of these facilities.”

WODC runs two car parks in Chipping Norton, in Albion Street and New Street, both of which are long stay facilities.

The Albion Street car park has 54 spaces, while the New Street car park has 141 plus four parent and child spaces and six disabled spaces.

The New Street car park is also one of two car parks which has spaces for motorcycles, the other being the Woolgate Shopping Centre in Witney.