THE Review hotline has been living up to its name – bringing a flood of calls from irate residents, businesses, workers and visitors, all on one subject: the introduction last weekend of the new parking charges in Coleford, Redbrook, Cinderford and Lydney.

As news began to arrive at the Review office of "a sort of parking madness" in the words of one observer, which had descended around our local towns, the phone callers tone began to change, from bare outrage to a degree of sympathy. "You have to feel sorry for the people who are trying to avoid the parking charges. An extra tenner every week is going to hurt, and for some people it will mean find a free space – or forget lunch," was the response from one caller.

In Coleford the car park for The Main Place, which houses the re-located library and other Council services, was described as 'ram-packed' with cars from early morning – as workers in the town sought to find the free section, and avoid the £2 a day parking charge. Eye witnesses said there were cars parked "two, and in places three, deep" on some areas of the car park. Staff working in the Breast Cancer mobile centre which is temporarily located in the car park at the Main Place were said to be 'dismayed' to find that a car parker had left his or her vehicle blocking the entrance to their disabled access lift.

In Lydney, Bream Road was bearing the brunt at school dropping off and picking up times with many parents parking along the road and side streets instead of the nearby car park causing a bottleneck which some lorries were negotiating with difficulty.

A resident who watched the "disaster" unfold on Monday said: "It was like somebody flicking a switch.

"Suddenly there were cars parking along the road and the car park was virtually empty.

"There is no longer a lollipop lady here and the safety implications for children having to cross that road with all that traffic are frightening."

In Mitcheldean the buses were finding it hard to make their way around poorly parked vehicles along both sides of the High Street.

Councillor Andrew Maliphant told the Review that there were efforts being made to help the parkers in the village by making spaces available by the parish playing fields and dedicated spaces in the Mews – moves which the Parish Council press release stated were aimed not just to aid the parking but also "with the intention of reducing the District Council's income from the car park so that they see the error of their ways". they added "These charges have been brought in based on logic for market towns, with many shops to attract visitors, rather than a village with just four high street shops." This was a view that was endorsed wholeheartedly by the traders in the village who were described as "absolutely raging" over the new parking scheme.