Almost £9,000 paid in parking fines in Portsmouth in two weeks after suspensions were lifted

Parking enforcement in the city was dropped between March 26 and June 1 across all residents' parking zones, on-street parking and council-run car parks.

It was hoped the move would free up spaces for emergency vehicles and key workers if other residents are able to spread out, as well as allowing council staff to focus on other critical services.

A Portsmouth City Council spokesman explained how many warnings and fines were issued within the first two weeks (June 1-15) of the charges being reinstated.

They said: 'In residents' parking zones we issued around 1,100 warnings and in car parks and on-street pay-and-display places we issued around 380.

'During this period we did issue 309 penalty charge notices around the city, to vehicles parked badly on yellow lines, in disabled bays or in electric charging bays, and to repeat offenders.

'Payment of these fines amounts to £8,700 so far.'

Councillor Lynne Stagg, the council's traffic and transport boss, said the suspensions were successful due to community spirit. She said: 'There were a few teething problems at first because there were so many people at home and masses and masses of cars parked on the road.

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'But it worked out really well because a lot of residents looked after their neighbours. For example in my ward there was one resident who had two cars parked in their driveway but they kept one on the road which they moved out of the way for their key worker neighbour as soon as they got home.'

The city council has recently or is currently consulting on new residents' parking zones in MG and MH, with an extension being considered for MF.

Zones MI and MJ are the next to undergo a formal consultation.

It was also recently confirmed that Eastney Esplanade will reopen to car on the evening of Sunday, September 13 and the western seafront road closure will be reopened on the September 30 in the evening.

Any money brought in from parking charges and fines has to be spent within the traffic and transportation portfolio.

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