NI heatwave: Police run out of parking tickets at Ballintoy Harbour

The police say 30 drivers on Sunday were issued with fixed penalty notices for a range of parking offences

Police have said they "ran out" of fixed penalty notices at Ballintoy Harbour, Country Antrim, on Sunday.

A spokesperson for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it responded to reports of traffic congestion in the area from 13:30 BST.

The PSNI said 30 drivers on Sunday were issued with fixed penalty notices for a range of parking offences.

They said offences included obstructing a road with a motor vehicle and parking within 15 metres of a junction.

In a Facebook post, Police Causeway Coast and Glens said: "Unfortunately for around 30 drivers it wasn't an all pleasant sunny day.

"All of these drivers were issued with fixed penalty notices for a number of offences... As well as this we were also trying to assist with the facilitation of a funeral which needed to get down to Balintoy Church.

"Unfortunately, we ran out of tickets after we emptied the third ticket book and we were diverted to another incident. Amongst ticketing these persons we also attended two Road Traffic Collisions which resulted in two arrests."

'This isn't safe'

One local Ballintoy businessman said congestion and illegal parking had left local residents feeling unsafe.

"The impact on local people is frustration for us to try and move around and do simple short journeys with that feeling that this isn't safe," Daniel McShane told BBC Radio Foyle.

"You're taking a breath, hoping you can get your car on the road without anyone coming out where there is no visibility."

Mr McShane said local businesses were also potentially losing out because customers were "struggling to get down" or "are being held up".

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Councillor Cara McShane said the sheer amount of visitors to the north coast over the weekend highlighted an ongoing issue.

"Given the year that's in it, the amount of staycations and the influx of visitors, the problem [of parking] has then been exacerbated," the Sinn Féin councillor said.

"We want people to enjoy their experience, we don't want people to go home with a sour taste in their mouth with a parking ticket. That is not the welcome we want to give."

The Causeway Coast and Glens councillor said the route from Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge to Balintoy Harbour did not lend itself to high volumes of traffic.

Ms McShane called for a "multi-stakeholder approach" to help tackle the parking issue.

The Ulster Unionist Party's Normal Hillis said Ballintoy was a particular problem because the road was narrow.

The Causeway Coast and Glens councillor and Portrush business owner said drivers "do need to have a bit of consideration for other road users and pedestrians because they shouldn't be parking on corners".

The PSNI appealed to motorists to act responsibly and to not obstruct the road or park illegally.

Swimmers and sunbathers enjoy Helen's Bay, County Down

Meanwhile, police said they also carried out traffic management operations at a popular County Down beach on both Saturday and Sunday because of the large number of people in the area.

Ten fixed penalty notices were issued across Saturday and Sunday at Helen's Bay, police said.

Offences included obstructing a road with a motor vehicle and parking within 15 metres of a junction.

"We understand that people want to visit the surroundings, especially in the good weather. We would ask that everyone parks safely and responsibly, as well as respecting the local area and its residents," police said.