Wardens issuing 400 tickets every month for parking

The fixed penalty notices are given to motorists who break the rules of the controlled parking zone which covers the central area.

The number of tickets '“ some 4,800 a year '“ has remained stable recently.

Inspector John Merrick, of Bognor police station, said the traffic wardens '“ led by senior warden Jeannette Knapper '“ performed a valuable role. "The public may not like them always, but they do a valuable job.

"Parking is an issue which arises at every public meeting I go to. It's one of the matters which affects everyone.

"There would be far more complaints about parking if we didn't have wardens carrying out enforcement.

"They don't have a quota or a target or a financial incentive to issue a certain number of tickets.

"It's just a case of how many people they find breaking the parking rules," he stated.

"They can act as extra pairs of eyes and ears for the police because they are out on the streets all day.

"They get to see a lot of things which might otherwise be missed.

"People also tell them information because they are so well-known. We secured a conviction for burglary last year thanks to the work of one of the wardens.

But the sight of the five traffic wardens on Bognor's streets is set to disappear in about two years.

Arun District Council is due to adopt civil parking enforcement powers in September, 2010.

This will see the wardens, controlled by the police, replaced by council parking attendants.

The switch has happened in most of West Sussex. It has resulted in the number of attendants far exceeding the previous number of wardens.

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