Report finds illegal parkers escape fines at beauty spot

Drivers who park illegally near a Teesdale beauty spot are not being prosecuted.

That’s the conclusion Middleton and Newbiggin Parish Council has come to after requesting, and receiving, a report into the number of penalty charge notices (PCNs) issued at Low Force, Bowlees and High Force.

There is limited public parking in that popular and picturesque area close to the River Tees, which can attract a large number of day-trippers on weekends, bank holidays and days when the weather is good.

To stop drivers parking in potentially dangerous or inconvenient locations, additional double-yellow lines were painted on both sides of the B6277 between Bowlees and High Force in June 2020.

However, despite regular reports from residents who have witnessed illegal parking on busy days, wardens have been noticeable by their absence.

To get to the bottom of the problem and to establish exactly how many drivers have been punished since the restrictions were introduced, the parish council made a freedom of information request to Durham County Council, which is responsible for enforcing the penalty notices.

According to the report received from the county council, 71 PCNs were issued in 2020 and 76 in 2021 and the recorded hours of enforcement (patrols) by parking wardens was more than 69 hours over those two years.

However, there’s been a sharp drop off and just one PCN was issued in 2022 despite 10hrs 39mins of recorded enforcement.

There were five PCNs issued in 2023 (3hrs 46mins) and zero tickets in 2024 despite more than 11hrs of enforcement.

Last year, there were four PCNs (4hrs 7mins) and his year, up to July 22, there had been zero PCNs issued and no recorded enforcement at all.

A parish council report published last month stated: “Irresponsible parking on busy visitor days at Low Force, Bowlees and High Force can obstruct the B6277 and create congestion.

“Councillors and residents have particular concern that, in some circumstances, obstructive parking could impede access by emergency services.”

Speaking at September’s parish council meeting in Middleton, chairman Cllr Kevin Tallentire, said: “As you can see from the data, over the first two years there was a lot of recorded hours of enforcement and a lot of PCNs issued.

“From 2021 it just seems to have got less and less and this year, up to July 22, there has been nothing.

“Armed with this information we need to go back to the county council and ask them why they are not policing it and what they plan to do in the future.

“From spring next year they need to be on it.”

The point was made during the meeting that busy periods such as bank holidays are known well in advance so wardens have the option of deliberately targetting specific dates on which to patrol that part of Teesdale.

The subsequent minutes of the meeting stated: “It was resolved… to make a further request for targeted and proportionate enforcement on predictable busy days and assurance of a commitment to making the restrictions effective.”