As many of you will know, shiny shoed parking enforcement officers are alive and well in Consett. Until January of this year Consett had no system in place for fining motorists for their dubious parking practices. This sort of system has been in place for a number of years in city centres around the UK but until now Consett has escaped the clutch of the civil enforcement officers allowing motorists to park with freedom and choice around the area. This is no longer the case as parking fines have become a genuine reality in Consett, adding to the mounting costs of motoring.parking enforcement officers

There are numerous legal parking facilities in and around Consett where you can park your car safe in the knowledge that you won’t receive a fixed penalty notice. Behind Middle Street and by Consett bus station there are the two largest car parks in the town but by 9 am finding a spot to leave your vehicle becomes almost impossible. This leaves people with a predicament; do you keep circling the car parks in the hope that somebody leaves their space or do you risk parking somewhere considered illegal but is generally safe, not obstructing traffic flow and the footpaths?

In Taylor Street, residents often can’t find a space outside their houses due to other people parking there to avoiding a parking fine. The people who live in the area are becoming increasingly frustrated with the situation and the lack of available parking in the town centre is the contributing factor. A new car park near K2 Nightclub on John Street has recently opened up charging £1 an hour or up to £5 for a day but will people be willing to spend even more money on motoring and the privilege to park their cars here in Consett?

How many of you have left your car for five minutes outside of Argos whilst picking up a large item  only to come back and find a yellow and black fixed penalty notice lovingly left under your windscreen wipers?  No doubt a number of you have been inflicted with the dreaded fixed penalty notice and the statistics on the number of tickets given out in 2011 need to be seen to be believed. Across the UK, over 6.8 million parking tickets were issued across the UK totalling £234m in parking fine revenues. That equates to a parking fine being filed once every 4.6 seconds in the UK.

From January 3rd to July 27th parking enforcement officers issued 1177 fixed penalty notices in Consett totalling revenue of £24,394. This sum of money being generated in Consett is then being received by Durham County Council to be reinvested in the area.

Only time will tell what sort of gains Consett will see from this locally generated pot of money.

If you have a story about parking or would like to comment on this article please visit: ConsettMagazine.com


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Chris Brown
Christopher Brown is Consett Magazine's lead journalist. Chris enjoys meeting with a whole host of different people to report on what's happening in Consett, Co.Durham.

11 COMMENTS

  1. Why do we need so many disabled spaces in Consett – when the majority of “them” seem to think they can park wherever they want? Such as on the pavement outside Cash converters, outside Halifax on the dropped pavement, or on the blind corner between Barry’s & Forsters. Then there’s the regular who parks ON the crossing between the old Collinsons & the Post Office. Then there’s the big red Peugeot (with blue badge) who ignores the disabled parking outside the cobblers, & parks in “OUR” spaces outside Peacocks – usually the first car there in the mornings as well. I thought blue badges were for physical disabilities – not mental ignorance & awkwardness?

  2. I got a ticket the other week. I hadn’t been in Consett in almost a year, so I didn’t even know there were traffic wardens. Maybe they should put up signs in the town. For years and years they did nothing about parking and now they are making loads of money off people.

    I hope the council read this and start putting more signs up around consett.

    btw, i didnt even park on yellow lines or anything, it was in a spot I have parked in a million times!!!

    love from furious james x

  3. The council need to show us where they parking money is being spent in Consett.

    Maybe they could repair the pot holes this money? Oh hang, thats what council tax is for and STILL nothing is done!

    All I can see is TAKE TAKE TAKE, where is this money being generated in consett being spent?

    Id contact the council myself, but what is the point, the person who will be responding does not care if I get reply or not, they get paid regardless of their performance.

    Durham County Council need a wake up call.

    Good story btw I support this new mag 100%, keep these stories coming.

  4. it makes no difference having parking enforcement officers in consett as i seen with my own eyes people breaking the law and the officers did nothing how are people supposed to learn anything when the parking officers are letting them away with it!!!

  5. it was so funny someone parked in a loading bay in consett outside the masons arms pub the parking officer turned up as i was walking past and the women raced across the road incase she got a ticket!!!but she parked there to take a scarf into the empire theatre for her mate and the officer let her off with the ticket its shocking the parking officers need to learn there job before they do it!!!

  6. Wonder how many of the fines were for bad parking outside schools. I think these “wardens” have started to do a good job appearing outside schools in the morning and evening and helping make them safer places for our kids.

    But we need more parking in Consett. Need to be campaigning now to keep the swimming baths car park as an “edge of town” car park with a “green route” into the centre

  7. hi i live in bungalos on sherburn villas opp hartinton st trying to get in and out with my car is no go im sometimes blocked in out side my home cant go shoping till after 4 and doctors and ambulance cant get in also a hurst has to stay in middle of the road large lorries and buses and big vans go up and down most people are fryting to cross over ive been to durham county waist of time and police even a tenent got a ticket because he could nt wait to get to loo he could nt get up back st for the disable bus we need help now pleaseeeeee

  8. I often part where sherburn villas is as my father is disabled but often can’t get near his home. When I can get parked, I’m often blocked in by other vehicles and can’t move until they return. school times is even worse. it would help if one side of the street was for residents given that they are old aged people down that street and some do have cars. On another note, however, cars often get damaged in that street by vandals – something needs to be done.

  9. I have a small business in Taylor Street and parking is a nightmare. I’m flanked by two, yes TWO taxi companies who obviously have a number of cars competing for parking space. I sometimes have to park my vehicle two streets away and carry goods to and fro. When it comes to heavy loads I have to park in the middle of the road until the job is done – sometimes causing a little chaos but what choice do I have? What bugs me is that workers from other businesses at the other end of town park outside our business all day long? Why not park outside their own building – because they can’t! I think that the space outside of these terraces should be reserved for owners, tenants an proprietors of those buildings, not just any Tom, Dick or Harry that gets there first. The upshot is that any entrepreneur looking to bring cash into the area will steer clear of Consett for his business.

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