PEOPLE living in a road close to Devizes town centre thought a parking permit scheme would be the end of years of abuse from motorists but had not bargained for the cost involved.

Celia O'Connor, of Victoria Road, has complained about the residents' parking scheme which she says is far more expensive than they expected.

Miss O'Connor said: "My neighbours and I have endured excessive aggravation from motorists who work in Devizes and avoid paying for parking in the towns car parks by using Victoria Road as a free car park.

"It is no exaggeration to say that this has been happening every day, except Sundays, for the last twenty years plus that I have lived in Victoria Road.

"We are now faced with what feels like an unjust penalty having resorted to applying for Residents Parking without being informed of the terms and conditions and method re MIPERMIT prior to deciding to agreeing to elect for residents parking."

Residents are charged £90 for a permit and have to pay extra for visitor permits. She thinks the extra visitor charges are a way for Wiltshire Council to generate extra income and is angry householders were not given full information on cost when they were told about the scheme.

She said: "Residents were not advised or consulted as to how a residents parking scheme would be implemented. Why were we not told before the decision to grant residents parking?"

Another Victoria Road residents has written to Devizes Mayor Nigel Carter to complain about the scheme after he championed it earlier this year.

He said: "My main grievance is that the charge is £90 per year per car as opposed to the £40 we were quoted. This is double what we thought it would be. Add in some visitor permits and we are £200 down before we've even found out if the scheme even works or not.

"For that sum of money I would like a personal parking space right outside my house please."

The parking scheme was introduced by Wiltshire Council but had the backing of Devizes Town Council.

Coun Carter said: "The bid for residents' parking scheme has been afoot for many years - starting before the demise of Kennet District Council.

"Some private surveys were undertaken and, more recently as part of a town-wide survey, town council undertook their own survey which suggested a convincing majority in favour.

"However, Wiltshire Council have the responsibility for implementing and enforcing these schemes and also undertook their own survey prior to proposing the scheme.

"It is unfortunate that it is only after the scheme is agreed that complainants appear and, given the expense of the necessary traffic orders, I feel that it is unlikely that the unitary authority is likely to suspend it."

A Wiltshire Council spokesperson said: “The new residents’ parking scheme was introduced as a result of local people raising concerns with the council about the previous arrangements. To enable all residents to have their say, a consultation process took place and comments of support and concerns raised for a new scheme were all captured and taken into account.

“While we recognise that some people were not fully supportive of the new scheme, it was approved and implemented based on the majority who voiced their support.

“It is always a balancing act when reviewing parking arrangements and when setting parking charges. Our aim is to allow residents to be able to access parking near to their homes.”