A PARKING free-for-all created by a council blunder is causing delivery chaos at Oxford’s Covered Market.

And it won’t be sorted for weeks.

A sign designating the bays in Market Street as “loading only” was removed in the summer so the outside of the 18th century Covered Market building could be cleaned.

But months later the sign still hasn’t been put back, meaning parking regulations in the street are unenforceable.

Now drivers have twigged they can park for free and are leaving cars there all day long.

Gordon Piggott, manager of McCarthy’s Fruit and Veg, said: “There are no parking restrictions out there whatsoever.

“It means we can’t get our deliveries in. Some of the lorries are getting trapped because they can’t turn round and some have hit the walls. It’s ridiculous.

“Nobody seems to be doing anything about it. It would be nice at least to know what’s going on.”

Robert Pouget of the Oxford Cheese Company said the Christmas period was vital to market traders.

He said: “In the two weeks before Christmas we do about six or seven weeks worth of sales.

“There are lots of lorries trying to come in and out and it’s chaos.”

Chris Farren, chairman of the Covered Market Traders’ Association (CMTA) and owner of The Cake Shop, said: “I would like to see the signs back in place. I put this down to inefficiency with the council.”

The delays have now been blamed on changing regulations.

Oxford City Council removed signs in Market Street to clean the Covered Market, and Oxfordshire County Council is responsible for parking restriction enforcement.

In a joint statement the councils said parking rules in Market Street had changed in the last couple of weeks to allow parking for loading for any vehicle in these bays. Beforehand it only allowed for goods vehicles.

As a result the sign and current traffic order did not match. They said the sign would be reinstated once this has been updated.

County council spokesman Marcus Mabberly said: “A discussion was held with the chairman of the CMTA about when the signage should be reinstated.

“It was agreed with the chairman that this should occur in the New Year.

“This approach has been approved by Colin Cook, the city council’s cabinet member for city development.”