OVER-STRETCHED South Lakeland traffic officers are struggling to cope with extra responsibilities being heaped upon them and law-flouting motorists are taking advantage.

As decriminalised parking enforcement was put under the microscope last week, council watchdogs discovered drivers could park without punishment on the streets of South Lakeland after 6pm, reports Lisa Frascarelli.

Parking chiefs told South Lakeland District Council's development overview and scrutiny committee there was no one to police parking in the district after 6pm when wardens clocked off; and that they were struggling to cope with an ever-expanding remit.

SLDC took over responsibility for parking enforcement from the police in 2002. Under the system, 12 staff patrol a 600-square mile area and their growing duties include patrolling Cumbria County Council's resident parking schemes and school traffic.

SLDC's enforcement officer Dick Base told the meeting his staff could not police parking at night too.

"We can do it during the day but not at night time," he said. "We are struggling. We should be looking at more staff with the legislation from Cumbria County Council. I would like another three full-time staff."

He added that wardens were unable to properly police Low Fellside in Kendal, which has parking restrictions until 10pm, because they did not have enough time to patrol all their patch and return in time to collar' errant motorists.

The committee also heard more tales of motorists who were taking advantage of the stretched system.

Coun Graham Vincent said that, after 7pm, people were parking on both sets of the double yellow lines on Wildman Street in Kendal. While South Lakeland traffic engineer John Bell said he had spoken to a "frustrated" policeman who was at Devil's Bridge recently and could have handed out 50 tickets to bikers and motorists parking illegally.

When asked if the situation was a parking free-for-all after 6pm, SLDC's portfolio holder for transport Coun Bob Barker conceded that was the case.

"Basically that is the position," he said. "We know there has been a problem it's a similar problem to the fact we can't cover every patrol of the district every part of the day. We expect people to observe the rules but people will always take advantage.

"People generally are law- abiding. We have to rely on them being law-abiding our traffic attendants can't be everywhere. Undoubtedly the attendants are over-stretched if we want to do a 100 per cent job. We expect our personnel to do the best they can in that time."

He said new legislation set to be rolled out next year could also see wardens patrolling box junctions and bus lanes. "I don't know how we are going to control moving traffic," he said. "I think it's a mistake."