HOUSEHOLDERS who were issued with parking tickets out of the blue have had their fines quashed.

As recently reported in the SNJ, seven residents in Bath Road, Stroud were stunned when they were issued with penalties last month.

They say they have been parking on the pavement area opposite their homes for nearly 20 years without any consequences and didn’t feel it was fair to start ticketing with no warning.

Now, Gloucestershire County Council has cancelled the fines and also lifted the restrictions, which applied to the pavement between JE Clarke auto repairs and the Dudbridge Hill traffic lights.

GCC parking manager Jim Daniels said: “Although it’s been illegal to park on the wide path for some years, we do want to help residents.

“We’re going to work with the community to see how parking can be improved.

“In the meantime we won’t be enforcing restrictions”

Residents presented Rodborough Parish Council with a petition challenging the fines.

In a letter, they wrote: “Not having access to these parking spaces means that we are now being forced to park in locations that detrimentally affect other Rodborough residents, and also that are arguably more inconvenient to other local road users and pedestrians.”

While residents were challenging the parking fines they were forced to park in Walkley Hill and Court Way.