MOTORISTS in Broadgreen were the target of a joint operation from police and civil enforcement officers yesterday morning in a clampdown on illegal parking.

Swindon Council is in the process of installing new signage to make people aware of the restrictions on residents parking and no-waiting zones around the area.

Broadgreen community beat manager PC Luke Atkinson said the operation came after police saw a spike in anti-social and illegal parking in recent weeks.

“We conducted similar operations in 2013 which led to a drastic reduction in the number of vehicles parking unlawfully and had a hugely positive feedback from the community,” he said.

“Unfortunately this problem has arisen again in recent weeks and is very frustrating for local residents who buy annual parking permits.

“Along with our colleagues in Swindon Council we have been out in the area identifying vehicles parked unlawfully and a number of tickets have been issued.

“These operations will continue and any identified offences will be dealt with robustly.

“We ask that people travelling to the Broadgreen area please abide by the traffic, parking and waiting restrictions.”

Businesses on Manchester Road say they have felt suffocated by the restrictions, and are calling for new measures to be put in place rather then civil enforcement.

Dan Bateman, owner of Dan’s Cycles on Manchester Road, said: “It has been a nightmare. They are really clamping down on it now, and our customers can’t even pull up for five minutes before a warden pulls up on them.

“I can’t see why they can’t make residents’ parking more flexible during working hours to give us a bit of relief.

“It does cause problems with customers because they are always rushing in and rushing out.

“I can see where the residents are coming from though, as often they are not able to park outside their house because someone has dumped their car there. That just pushes the problem along because they will then have to find somewhere else to park.”

Chee Seng, 56, of Broadgreen, said there were worse issues to be dealing with.

“I think illegal parking is probably the least of our worries round here,” he said. “It is quite well controlled as far as I can see, and wardens are round regularly.”

Robert Woods, 53, of Gladstone Street, said the problem had been building for some time.

“There are certainly some problems, because quite often the alleyways get blocked off so you can’t get into your own garage,” he said. “There have been times where there is someone parked at each end so you can’t even get in, let alone park.

“In one case we have seen that someone living in a house round the back has used the alley as a normal parking space because they do not want to pay for the parking permit.”