A COUNCIL has been challenged to "stop being tight fisted" and reduce car park charges to relieve parking mayhem surrounding North Yorkshire’s new police HQ.

Residents near the building in Northallerton say the problems are “blighting” their lives as staff unable to park at the offices leave their vehicles in surrounding streets.

The Crosby road car park, less than 100 metres away, is often more than half empty with employees unwilling to pay the charges.

A member of the police staff, who asked to remain anonymous, is now calling on Hambleton District Council to take action claiming there have also been incidents of residents keying and damaging cars.

He said: “Paying £64 a month to park is ludicrous. That £3.20 a day for the car park can go on lunch and put more money back into local businesses. If I paid that I couldn’t afford to go to town for lunch most days.

“If the council reduced their ticket price to half or even to a pound then we would actually use the car park but we just can’t afford it.”

He said the 100 parking spaces at the HQ were gone by 7.20am as staff competed for spaces with only 15 designated car share spaces. There are up to 400 staff on the site.

"Residents are understandably angry but some have taken to keying cars and damaging them. Some staff find dents on the cars where it looks like people have kicked them."

A Hambleton spokesman said: “The council provides car parking for residents and visitors to the Hambleton area, with prices fixed at hourly and daily rates.

"Users can take advantage of the ParkCard scheme which offers a 20 per cent reduction on long stay car parking charges through the purchase of a pre-paid card.”