New controlled parking zones (CPZs) have caused chaos for some locals, as ‘essential gas maintenance’ work forced them to park on the street and risk receiving parking fines.

The new CPZ was introduced on February 22 to Oxford Road and the nearby Carter Estate in Marston, however, the introduction of the new parking measures coincided with essential maintenance work from the gas company SGN.

The gas maintenance works meant that ‘huge holes’ were being dug in the pavements and on residents’ drives.

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The fact that residents could not park on their own drives whilst the essential repairs were being carried out, meant they were forced to park on the street.

However, the new CPZ measures mean that cars without a permit will be given a ticket and subsequently fined.

One resident of Mortimer Drive said: “In order to do their work, the gas people are digging huge holes in the pavements and on our drives.

“They are therefore asking those who usually park on our drives, and so have no need for a parking permit under the new system, to park on the roads.

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“But despite seeing all the diggers, trucks, plastic barriers and holes dug everywhere, the traffic warden is zipping around on his electric scooter, ticketing all the cars that are on the road without parking permits.”

The resident believed these were warning tickets but are still concerned about what would happen in the future if other essential maintenance work had to be carried out again.

Oxfordshire County Council, who implemented the CPZs, said that it is the responsibility of the gas company to allow residents access to their drives, but added that if in the future any residents had access problems, the council were able to provide visitor permits to allow street parking for the duration of the works.

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A spokesperson for Oxfordshire County Council said: “All residents should still have access to their own driveways despite the work taking place in Marston.

“It is the responsibility of the utility company to provide ramps over any areas of digging to ensure this is the case.”

The council said any householders having problems accessing their drive should email Highway.Enquiries@Oxfordshire.gov.uk so the council can issue a visitor permit for the duration of the gas works.

The spokesperson added: “We will also inspect the site if necessary.”

Bradley Barlow, a spokesperson for SGN, said: “We’re carrying out essential works to upgrade the gas network in the Carter Estate.

“Some of our work takes place in front of residents’ driveways and we’ve taken steps to ensure people can still access their properties.

“However, if they are still having difficulty in accessing their driveways, we would encourage them to speak to an onsite team member to discuss how we can provide further help. We would like to remind residents to maintain social distancing when talking to our teams.”

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