Cars parked at the Yarmouth fireworks celebration.
FIREWORKS sparked in Yarmouth last week when traffic wardens were accused of being sneaky by angry motorists who were issued with parking fines.
With car parks full as hundreds attended the town’s fireworks display, dozens of motorists were fined £25 for parking on grass verges, even though they were not blocking roads or pavements.
But the Isle of Wight Council said parking restrictions were enforced to help ensure traffic could move effectively and safely and routes were available for emergency services.
Ryde resident Gavin Whitter, who was fined for parking on a grass verge, said it wasn’t the money that was the problem, it was the way traffic wardens issued the tickets.
"There was no way any of the cars parked were blocking roads and it was very sneaky of the wardens to issue tickets when they knew lots of people would be going to Yarmouth," he said.
"A plan should have been put in place to allocate parking for extra cars as this will only discourage people from going to events like this in the future."
Motorists in Sandown also reported similar incidents during the town’s carnival on the same evening.
The Isle of Wight Council said parking restrictions were well signposted in both towns and all tickets issued were to motorists who had chosen to flout the regulations and parked their cars illegally.
And parking regulations were not enforced as a money-making exercise although surplus money raised was used to fund transport schemes and initiatives.
Reporter: mattw@iwcpmail.co.uk