Officers from two councils will issue penalty notices to illegally parked vehicles today in taxi bays at Preston Minster.

Civil enforcement officers from Lancashire County Council and Preston City Council will tackle the issue with a series of visits, beginning this evening (Friday, July 15) outside Preston Minster.

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The visits build on previous enforcement exercises, which included penalty charge notices issued to drivers who had parked illegally.

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County Councillor Charlie Edwards, the cabinet member for highways and transport at Lancashire County Council, said: “We fully support a vibrant city centre economy, and taxis play a part in that.

“Unfortunately, the public are illegally parking in the taxi bays, causing a problem.

“On Friday and Saturday evenings, in particular, taxis are finding they cannot use the rank because it is already full of cars that should not be there.

“People wanting a taxi are rightly going to the rank, which is what it is designed for, but the taxis must wait elsewhere or pick people up in the middle of the road, causing an obvious danger.”

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Edwards said many people parking in the rank illegally are either on a night out or staying in Preston overnight.

The councillor suggested Winkley Square and the Avenham Street Pay and Display, where people can park for free overnight, and the bus station car park.

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Councillor David Borrow, the cabinet member for planning and regulation at Preston City Council, said: “Hackney carriages play an integral role in ensuring that visitors to Preston’s city centre can get home both quickly and safely.

“Only licensed hackney carriages can park in an authorised hackney carriage rank during operational times.

“The longstanding issue of private vehicles parking in the Church Street rank in the evening causes disruption by preventing licensed vehicles from using these dedicated spaces effectively.

“It’s anticipated that proactive parking enforcement of private vehicles parked on the rank will assist the licensed hackney carriage trade and improve public safety for pedestrians and road users in the area.”

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