SHORT-stay shoppers using Tavistock's Guildhall car park should make sure they stick to the one-hour parking restrictions from now on — a new management system started this week.
The car park is owned and operated by Tavistock Town Council, unlike most of the town's car parks, which are the property of West Devon Borough Council.
Town clerk Roger Howard said a partnership between town and borough had been developed, which meant a new parking order could now be enforced, giving the borough's parking inspectors the power to issue tickets in the car park.
Col Howard said: 'Town councillors are very keen to see this particular area used as short-term shoppers' parking, so have placed a one-hour stay restriction on it to ensure there is a constant turn-over of shoppers' cars.
'The council is continuing to provide eight dedicated spaces for the police, so long as there is a police station in the town.'
Col Howard said that until now parking restrictions had frequently been abused. The town council could impose fines, but it did not have the manpower to back up the scheme.
He said: 'The new system doesn't cost us anything. West Devon get the money for any fines and we get the income from the machines.
'Hopefully, this will stop people dumping their cars there all day, creating more spaces for shoppers.'
Tickets in the Guildhall car park cost 40p for one hour — there is also a half-hour ticket available for 20p.