THE new Kennet parking wardens are coming under fire in Marlborough for dishing out too many tickets.

They have been accused this week of booking parents dropping off their children at a play school and harassing residents trying to find off-street parking.

Complaints about the wardens reached a head when one of them booked one of the showmen's vehicles at the Mop Fair on Saturday.

Although the High Street and the lower part of Kingsbury Street were closed to traffic, a Kennet District Council warden slapped a ticket on one of the showmen's pick-up trucks parked outside the HSBC bank.

They didn't ease up on Sunday either, issuing three tickets.

It was believed to be the first time that wardens have worked on a Sunday, or at least the first time they had issued tickets on a Sunday.

One of their bosses at the council's headquarters in Devizes backed the wardens. He said: "If people had tickets they must have contravened somewhere."

However, some townspeople have complained that since September 4, when Kennet took over inforcement of all parking controls, the wardens are operating a much less tolerant regime.

Mother-of-two Claire Dawson, of Barrow Close, Marlborough, received a £30 ticket for parking on double yellow lines while dropping son Alfie, three, off at St Mary's play school, in Silverless Street.

Her husband Alex was threatened with a ticket by the same warden while he was sitting in the car on Friday, waiting in torrential rain while his wife collected their son.

Mr Dawson said: "Before September 4 the wardens would allow parents five or ten minutes while they collected children from play school but not now."

Mrs Dawson said she ran to her car before the warden started to write her ticket but he still issued it.

Mr Dawson said: "Surely it can't do any harm - and would make sense - to have an amnesty for five to ten minutes either side of play school starting and finishing so parents can safely drop off their toddlers."

Other drivers have complained that they have been booked for parking in a wedge-shaped, off-road space in front of the old council offices in Silverless Street.

This is despite a test case in 1994 that showed the space was common land and not highway.

One resident was booked for using the parking space on Sunday. Several others who have received tickets there have appealed against their tickets.

A Kennet spokesman denied that the council parking officers picked on certain areas.

He said Kennet did not have a zero tolerance policy and added: "For the first month or so we have been trying to be more visible rather than issuing lots of tickets."