Illegal parking isnot a Rye priority

It comes behind tackling the problem of drug taking and dangerous and anti-social driving.

But despite this 24 parking tickets were handed out in Rye town centre during the first week of January.

The issue was raised at a recent meeting of Rye Town Council’s public services committee when Cllr Granville Bantick said: “Illegal parking is still a problem in the town.”

Pat Hughes, who sits on the Policing Panel, said: “We did not choose parking as a priority this time round as the Community Transport Group has been carrying its own survey.

“The survey found that though there is a small minority blatantly ignoring every rule, the majority park legally.

“We felt there were more pressing priorities for police, particularly with young people and drugs and anti-social behaviour problems on Tilling Green, where over a third of the town’s population lives.

“Illegal parking is irritating but it is mainly a problem for the person who cannot find a space.”

The point was made that the Rye community does not benefit from money raised through parking fines, which goes into the Government’s coffers.

Rye PCSO Sharon Eldridge said: “I personally found that unless you were in one spot constantly in the High Street illegal parking is impossible to control.”

Cllr Mary Smith said: “We still have a problem of dangerous and illegal parking in the area of the George Hotel in Rye.”