THE majority of motorists in the UK say they support plans to issue hefty fines to people who park on pavements, according to a survey.

The Department of Transport is considering rolling out a nationwide ban on pavement parking, similar to what is already the case in London.

If implemented across England, the rules would see offending drivers hit with a £70 fine each time they committed the offence.

Frustrated Echo readers recently shared some shocking examples of cars blocking access to pavements in the North-East - read more.

But a survey has revealed a large proportion of people asked are in favour of plans by the Transport Committee to extend the system across England.

The survey, commissioned by Motorpoint and made up from 1,661 people, found that 63 per cent of motorists welcomed the plans.

Statistics

Mark Carpenter, Chief Executive Officer of Motorpoint, said: “While we fully understand the frustration that parking on the kerb can cause some pedestrians, I believe this is one of the times where common sense really needs to be applied, given that it is such a grey area, rather than the introduction of yet more regulations which penalise the motorist.

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Stockton Road, Sadberge Picture: NORTHERN ECHO

“Parking on the pavement should always be seen as a last resort, for instance, if you live on a narrow road and failing to do might stop other cars or emergency vehicles driving down it.

"What it shouldn’t be is the norm, which we fully support, but just issuing fines to people who have no other choice than to park on the kerb doesn’t seem to be the answer. Education rather enforcement has to be the answer on this occasion.”

How the proposals would work

Under new proposals being considered by the Government, parking on the kerb would see drivers up and down the land face a £70 Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) from their local authority as part of a bid to free up pavements for pedestrians, people in wheelchairs or with visual impairments as well as those with prams or pushchairs.

At present, fines for motorists who park on kerbs is only legally enforceable in London.