Revealed: Isle of Axholme’s parking ticket blackspots

It is the parking ticket capital of the Isle of Axholme - and there are concerns that the issue could deter shoppers from coming to the town.
High Street, EpworthHigh Street, Epworth
High Street, Epworth

Figures revealed through a Freedom of Information request from the Bells reveal High Street, Epworth, had more parking tickets than anywhere else in the Isle.

But despite the number of fines which have been handed out on the street, which is in the main shopping area in the town, officials at North Lincolnshire Council say the overall number of tickets issued last year had plummeted compared to the previous 12 month period.

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In total, there were 16 tickets handed out to people by parking wardens on High Street in the 12 months up to October 2015, our investigation revealed.

There were 36 tickets dished out in Epworth in all.

In the Isle of Axholme as a whole, 60 fines were issued for parking offences, with other blackspots revealed in Crowle, Keadby, and in West Butterwick.

Don Stewart, the chairman of Epworth Town Council is concerned about the figures and said he feared that dishing fines out in the town for parking would deter visitors from coming to the town to shop.

He added he would raise the issue at the town council and look to hold meetings with North Lincolnshire Council on the matter.

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He said: “Speaking personally, I have always felt that the parking has always been a problem for the poor shoppers who take the time to come to Epworth and do shopping and spend money there to try to keep the shops open.

“My concern is that people can get back to their cars five minutes late and find a parking ticket.

“I have had a lot of calls about it as both a local resident and as a local councillor.

“Now this has been raised by the Bells I am going to look to put it on the agenda at the town council.

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“Epworth is a popular place and it may be something that we need to look at.

“I think there is still quite a lot to be done on this issue.”

Mr Stewart said he had been made aware in the past of a case where a disabled woman was give a fine after parking on High Street while she was visiting her doctors’ surgery, but had been unable to use the disabled bay, as it was already occupied.

He said one way of improving the situation may be to extend the limits from two to three hours.

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But he added there were areas in Epworth were people could park without restrictions. They included parts of Albion Hill, Rectory Street and Mulberry Street.

A spokesman for North Lincolnshire Council said the number of tickets issued had actually fallen compared to the previous year.

A statement from the council said: “The council does everything possible to support local business and we recently invested £250,000 in creating an expansion of our off street car park on Albion Hill.

“There is no evidence that more people are receiving parking tickets, in fact there has been a significant decrease in number of tickets issued from 224 (October 2013 to September 2014) to just 60 (October 2014 to September 2015).”

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The council website lists three car parks in the Isle. They are the Potts Lane car park in Crowle, with 33 spaces; Church Street car park in Epworth , with 53 spaces and Chapel Street Manor Court, Epworth, with 12 spaces.