FOREST Heath District Council's "critical friends" have made verge parking one of their priorities.

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee, which raises issues and scrutinises decisions across the council, has the development of our Market Towns as its top priority and sees verge parking as an integral problem.

With the help of the Newmarket Journal the council asked the public to identify problem areas and within the first few weeks almost 60 hotspots were highlighted – two-thirds of them in Newmarket.

The committee is now considering the cost of barriers or bollards, or employing wardens to enforce by-laws. It is also going to consider residents’ parking needs following complaints that non-residents were occupying parking spots forcing residents onto verges.

Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Councillor Robin Millar said: "Bollards or enforcement are only part of the solution because they just move cars somewhere else. The real problem is that car ownership has grown over many years – but the space in town to park them is limited. Even in new developments the government’s rules prevent us from demanding sufficient parking spaces. The council has made sure there is space for visitors and customers to park – now it is time to make sure residents have a reasonable space and a say in how that is provided.”

Significant joint enforcement exercises involving police, trading standards, Forest Heath officers and the DVLA have taken place to prevent “car showrooms” appearing on verges in Mildenhall and Brandon and more swoops are planned across the district.