POLICE are planning spot-checks to stop drivers from parking illegally in a town centre.

Heavily worn road markings and abuse of the disc parking system introduced in Bedale more than ten years ago are being blamed for problems faced by visitors and residents trying to shop in the town.

The issues have been taken up by the town council, which is calling for the markings to be repainted by North Yorkshire County Council and for the return of a traffic warden, while police have announced a crackdown on motorists who abuse the two-hour disc system.

Faded white lines on cobbles in the market place mean that some drivers straddle parking bays, reducing available space. On the west side of the market place, "keep clear" markings have become so worn that one end of an access road in front of shops is occasionally blocked by parked vehicles.

Town councillor Mike Batty said: "Parking is totally out of control. Somebody wants to grasp it by the neck."

Sergeant Stuart Grainger, of Bedale police, said letters had been sent to businesses in response to complaints about abuse of the disc system.

He said: "In the absence of any parking warden, we were receiving multiple complaints about people either not displaying a disc or moving the disc on so that they did not need to move the car.

"A letter-drop was done to market place businesses so that any staff could be advised of relevant offences, and we also badgered the county council until we managed to get hold of four large boxes of parking discs.

"These have been distributed to shops and businesses and the tourist information office so that nobody has the excuse of not being able to get hold of a disc.

"We intend doing spot-checks on parking issues a few days each month as and when resources permit."

Town councillors also suggested that signs covering the extent of the disc parking area could be clearer.

Yvonne Rose, chairwoman of the chamber of trade and tourism, welcomed the police move and said: "Several traders have expressed concern about abuse of the system. We raised it with police and it does look as if they are taking the concerns on board. It may lead to a new attitude."

No one was available from the county council yesterday.