A DECISION to enforce parking restrictions on a Tavistock residential street over the Jubilee weekend when there were no fees in the town's car parks for four days has been labelled 'mean-spirited and ludicrous'.

Three residents of Dolvin Road were issued with parking tickets on Jubilee Tuesday and despite an appeal the decision has been upheld.

Residents are angry that Dolvin Road, which permits roadside parking on a Sunday, did not qualify for the bank holiday waiver which applied to car parks in the town.

Catherine Barnes, whose challenge over the fine of £35 to West Devon Borough Council was rejected, said: 'It is just ludicrous. Sundays and, I believed, bank holidays, are an opportunity to park outside our houses and invite friends and family to do the same.

'The fact that we appeared to be the only residents in Tavistock not to have had the parking restrictions waived on the recent holiday seems arbitrary.'

Eighteen months ago residents of Dolvin Road, which is a main entrance into the town, fought to keep their parking permits which allow them to park in nearby car parks for free.

Resident Michelle Astley said she had always been led to believe that on bank holidays cars could be parked outside the houses.

'We never get tickets on bank holiday Mondays so why should bank holiday Tuesday be any different?

'It seems very silly. A simple knock on the door to tell us to move our cars may have been more appropriate

'There was so much going on in Tavistock that day and there was a lovely atmosphere. A traffic warden prowling about slapping tickets on cars on a day when everyone was having fun seems mean-spirited to me.'

A spokesman for West Devon Borough Council said: 'We exercise parking control on behalf of Devon County Highways.  Devon County has insisted we treat bank holidays the same as any other day in parking terms.

'The road is clearly signed. We did give a free concession in borough council-owned car parks for the Jubilee Weekend but this did not extend to public roads where restrictions still applied. 

'Our press releases and public notices made this quite clear and that the concession applied only to those council car parks listed.

'Although we wanted to try to ensure that everyone had a chance to enjoy the Jubilee we also had to fulfil our duty to keep the roads safe and clear.'

Tavistock borough councillor Ted Sherrell said: 'This was a petty, mean-spirited, obsessively bureau-cratic act, totally at odds with the borough council's enlightened act of waiving all car parking charges for the four days of the memorable jubilee celebrations and the general aura of goodwill which pervaded the town at the time.'

But Cllr Robert Oxborough, who chairs the council's community services committee, said although he was sympathetic with the residents' situation he also understood that the borough council must act within the law. 

'In this case the borough council is paid by the county council, who have jurisdiction in this matter, to enforce on-street parking violations'.