Monmouthshire County Council has now taken responsibility for parking enforcement from Gwent Police.

The council has taken on the powers of Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE) to enforce on-street parking restrictions in Monmouthshire - in addition to the off-street car parks that the council already manages. The police will continue to be responsible for dealing with dangerously parked vehicles, obstruction and moving traffic offences.

Councillor Bryan Jones, Monmouthshire’s cabinet member for county operations said: “The council has created a dedicated civil enforcement team to manage parking traffic regulations within the county. This will lead to improved parking in areas with existing problems as well as an increased turnover of parking spaces and improved safety for pedestrians and road users.”

Under CPE, the council will be able to enforce: double and single yellow lines; disabled bays; limited waiting bays; taxi ranks; coach bays; loading bays; zig-zag markings at schools (if restrictions apply) and pedestrian crossings; double parking or parking too far away from the kerb edge; parking in bus stops.

A penalty charge notice (PCN) will be issued to a vehicle when a civil enforcement officer witnesses it parked in contravention of an order. Two levels of penalty charge are set by the Welsh Government and will depend on the severity of the contravention. The charge will be £70 for the most serious contraventions and £50 for lesser ones.

If the PCN is paid within 14 days of receipt of the notice, the charge will be reduced by 50 per cent.  If no payment is received or no representations are made within 28 days, the council may issue a charge certificate and the charges will be increased to £105 for the most serious of offences and £75 for lesser contraventions.

Motorists will be able to pay PCNs by post, using the envelope provided with the PCN, online by visiting the South Wales Parking Groups page www.swpg.co.uk (credit/debit card payment) or by telephone on 033 332 008 67.

Additionally, motorists will be able to appeal the charge if they believe it has been wrongly issued.  It should be noted that the registered keeper is responsible for paying the PCN.

Income generated by the charges will contribute to the cost of the service and any surplus will go towards the county’s traffic initiatives and road improvements.