POLICE who blitzed a suburban street with fixed-penalty parking tickets are out of order, say angry car-owners.

Residents of Parkend Road in Bream, a 30mph zone, were shocked to wake and find many their cars had been ticketed by police for night parking offences.

Most had been targeted for parking without lights in the reasonably well-lit street – and it is usually only an offence to do so when there is a speed limit of 40mph or above in force, says the Central Ticketing Office.

Exceptions

However police at Coleford said there were exceptions when a car was parked facing in the wrong direction, when it was too close to a road junction or if adverse weather conditions made parked vehicles an additional road hazard.

The action is believed to have taken place following complaints about parking in the road at a parish council meeting which was attended by a police representative.

"We have parked there for 32 years without any problem. We have never had any trouble at all before. There isn't anywhere else to park anyway," said Mrs Barbara Lewis, whose husband Trevor's Rover 100 was outside his home mid-way down the street.

The Lewis family have written to the police protesting that the £20 fixed penalty demands are out of order and unfair.

And Emma Lewis, 19 (not a relation), who left her Metro parked higher up the street outside her mother's home, was equally upset to find a ticket on her car.

"I was shocked – we have always parked outside the house," she said. "I think it is unfair but I was going to pay up because there doesn't seem anything we can do."

Next door the three cars belonging to Michelle Dover, her sister Leanne and mum Susan Dovey were also hit.

Offence

A spokesperson for the Central Ticket Office which deals with fixed-penalty fines said the offence was "fairly common" in rural areas.

"The offences carry an automatic £20 fixed penalty. We send a reminder if the fine has not been paid in 28 days and the offenders have a further 28 days to pay – in effect they have a total of 56 days to pay."

She added that people could object in writing to the fines giving details of all the circumstances and their protests would be considered.

Failure to take any of these steps could lead to court action.