Keswick: Action against problem parkers welcomed

The road between Portinscale and Grange-in-Borrowdale has been revealed as one of the parking fine hotspots

Action against problem parkers has been welcomed after a tourist town emerged as a parking fine hotspot.

Cumberland Council has issued a total of 16,854 parking fines since April, according to figures obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Four of the top five places which saw the most parking fines were in the Keswick area.

Cumberland Council said it was "committed to fair and transparent enforcement of parking regulations".

Tim Fisher, who runs Keswick's Northern Lights Gallery, supported the action.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he felt it was right to fine problem parkers.

Mr Fisher described how inconsiderate parking had prevented some emergency vehicles from reaching Borrowdale Road between Keswick and Grange.

Double yellow lines were placed there but people ignored them, he said.

"Once someone parks up, it seems to add some sort of validity - 'well if they can do it, I can do it'," he said.

Double yellow lines on Borrowdale Road have been ignored, Mr Fisher said

"If they ignore it I don't see any reason why tickets shouldn't be issued because there have been incidents last summer where... emergency vehicles couldn't get through and that, ultimately, is unacceptable."

Cumberland Council has said increased footfall in Keswick "naturally" leads to a higher number of parking offences.

The figures, which the Local Democracy Reporting Service obtained from a Freedom of Information request, showed a total of 912 parking notices were issued in the C2057 Portinscale To Grange Road, Keswick, since 1 April this year.

Castle Street, Carlisle, came in at second place, with 422 notices issued during the same period.

The next three places were also in Keswick - Station Road with 376, the B5289 with 369 and Borrowdale Road in Keswick with 329.

A total of 310 parking notices were issued in the Portinscale To Grange-In-Borrowdale road, 307 in Lowther Street, Whitehaven, 304 in Main Street, Cockermouth, 276 in Cecil Street, Carlisle and 232 in Strand St, Whitehaven.

The fines generated a total of £399,685 for the local authority.

More than 300 parking fines have been issued in Station Road, Keswick, since April

A Cumberland Council spokeswoman said: "The figures shown... are from an unaudited financial report.

"We are committed to transparency and accuracy in our financial reporting and the final financial position will be confirmed once the auditing process is complete.

"In relation to the high number of PCNs in Keswick, it is essential to recognise that Keswick is a bustling tourist area.

"We ensure that Keswick is fully compliant with all parking regulations and that the area is well signposted to inform both visitors and locals about parking rules and regulations.

"Our objective is not to generate revenue but to maintain order, safety and accessibility to benefit both the local community and visitors."