More traffic wardens for Yarmouth

THEY are among the least-liked of professionals alongside solicitors and estate agents - but motorists in Great Yarmouth are going to see more traffic wardens patrolling the streets.

And while some may greet the arrival of three new officials keeping a close eye on summer drivers who flout the rules with a glower others will rejoice that people can no longer leave their cars on double yellow lines thinking they will not get a ticket.

This week a date was set for the handover of parking enforcement from the police to Norfolk County Council - and three new traffic wardens got into their stride seeking out road rebels.

David Law, a traffic management officer at Norfolk police, said the county council was hoping to take over in April, though this is only a provisional date.

Only one traffic warden has been patrolling the entire Yarmouth borough since October 2008 after plans to decriminalise parking were put on hold due to plans amid uncertainty about local government reorganisation.

However, the new coalition government has scrapped the proposals, paving the way for decriminalisation.

The county will be working in partnership with Yarmouth Borough Council to provide the parking attendants, though Mr Law said the county expected the scheme to be self-financing through parking fines.

But the borough will need an additional seven full time attendants to bring it up to the total of eight traffic wardens who patrolled the town when the decriminalisation process was started in 2007.

This summer, police have appointed three seasonal traffic wardens who are patrolling the seafront and town centre streets during the summer months.

“At the moment, from a police point of view we are being told it is likely to be April next year, but that date is a provisional date. It is down to the county. There are on-going discussions with the county council, but we are not involved with that side of it,” Mr Law said.