FINES have been handed out by the council to drivers who couldn’t park at facilities run by the authority.

Traffic wardens working on behalf of North Herts District Council (NHDC) were seen ticketing a number of cars in Letchworth GC last week.

The vehicles were parked illegally on grass verges in Icknield Way, as well as on roads in Hillshott and Rushby Mead.

Motorists were caught out after parking spaces at Letchworth Outdoor Pool and Howard Park and Gardens had filled up due to the hot weather.

Spaces at Howard Park have been reduced following the completion of a �2.7m renovation in March, with the removal of Birds Hill Car Park.

Depending on the offence, a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) of either �70 or �50 can be served.

Commenting via social network site Facebook, Ian Harrison said: “Removing the car park was very short-sighted. “It’s not rocket science to work out that a revamped park will attract even more people from all over town, some of which need to drive.”

Nathan Brown added: “They are ticket mad and a lot of this short-sightedness isn’t short-sightedness, it is done by design so they can get more tickets.

“There is more money in one PCN than there is in 10 cars parking all day.”

Cllr Tom Brindley, NHDC’s portfolio holder for planning, transport and enterprise, said: “The unusually hot weather brought unprecedented numbers of people to the outdoor pool and the newly refurbished Howard Park and Gardens in Letchworth last week.

“The car parks nearest these facilities filled up quickly but there was spare capacity at other car parks nearby in the town centre, including the multi-storey.

“Unfortunately some people chose to park illegally and received tickets accordingly, as we have a responsibility to maintain parking enforcement at all times.

“This is in order to keep traffic flowing and to prevent obstruction. We also need to ensure local people living in the roads near these facilities have access to and from their homes.

“The council took on the responsibility of enforcing on-street parking several years ago, but this is not a profit-making service. We will continue to keep all of our car parking facilities under review.”