EALING council says it will not change parking bays in line with Government regulations.

Last week the Ealing Times exposed the fact a number of parking bays around the borough do not conform to Department for Transport (DfT) regulations, set out in a handbook issued to all councils.

In a front page story, the Ealing Times reported the confusion that could be caused with the bays after Ealing Council pulled out of an appeal hearing over a parking ticket due to a ‘technical problem’ with the bay concerned.

Since then the paper has been inundated with calls from people across the country saying they have suffered a similar problem where they live.

Bays used extensively in the borough for residents parking and pay-and-display which do not have individually marked spaces inside them, should only be marked at either end with a single line. But some in Ealing actually have double lines.

However, despite clarification from a DfT spokesman that these types of bay should be marked with a single line, as shown in the diagram taken from the handbook, Ealing Council is refusing to make the simple change.

Claire Parker, a spokesman for the council, said: “Ealing’s controlled parking zones are clearly marked and we will continue to enforce them. The council has no intention of spending taxpayers’ money on re-drawing zone lines when the present bays are entirely clear.

“The possible changes being called for by the Ealing Times would significantly reduce parking capacity across the borough. Bearing in mind the huge demand for parking in this borough this does not strike us as entirely sensible.”

However, the owner of the TicketFighter website, who works in the industry, said the claims that changes would be very costly or reduce the number of spaces are “nonsense”.

He said: “All the council needs to do to bring these bays into line with regulations is to get rid of one of the lines, that can be as simply as painting over one.

“It does not have to be costly and it certainly would have no effect on capacity, these claims are nonsense.

“I don’t understand why paid professionals in the parking department have been unable to look in a book and spot there was a problem.”

He continued: “If the council continues to take money from people in these bays they could be open to legal action and the police should look at what has been going on.

“People who have been ticketed in these bays and had their appeals rejected before should ask the council for a full refund.”