HOUSEHOLDERS who have paid up to £75 to park their vehicles in residents' parking zones in Bicester have branded the scheme a farce after learning that traffic wardens are not allowed to issue tickets.

The Cherwell District Council wardens have been on patrol since January under a scheme approved by the county council. However, the scheme only allows the district to prosecute illegal parkers and no parking fines can be issued.

West Coggle and his wife Jan, who live in Henley Gardens, have two vehicles which they park in Victoria Road.

Mr Coggle, who has lived in Bicester for 14 years, said he had spoken to a number of the wardens patrolling the area and asked why they had not issued any tickets.

He was told they could only put notices on non-permit holders' windscreens informing motorists that if they continued to park in residents' only zones they would be prosecuted.

The 48-year-old said: "Wardens have been making a note of vehicle registration numbers for three months now. The residents' parking scheme is a complete farce. We have paid money for these permits for nothing. There are a few persistent offenders who I have seen parking in the street time and time again and they obviously haven't received a ticket otherwise if they had they wouldn't keep parking there.

The scheme includes Victoria Road, Priory Road, North Street, King's End, Henley Gardens and Church Lane.

Mr Coggle was entitled to apply for up to two annual permits - the first at a cost of £50 and the second at £25.

He said: "This is a disgrace. I know a few neighbours on low income who need the car to get to work and can ill afford the £50 fee and then to return home from work and not be able to park because of non-permit holders is very annoying.

"This is madness. We have paid our money and the council won't give us a refund. Why should we have to pay and everyone else get away with it? When the permits expire I won't be paying for any more."

Roger Sherratt, 44, of Henley Gardens, said: "I have to say that since the residents' parking has been introduced I am able to park during the day and in the allocated area.

"However we were led to believe that this scheme would be enforced and it's not. Many non-permit holders are receiving notices on their windscreens. But repeat offenders obviously know they are not going to get prosecuted and continue to park there regardless."

Cherwell District Council decided to introduce the scheme following a meeting last summer, in which the council executive discussed local peoples responses to the plans.

A team of nine wardens operate throughout the Cherwell district patrolling both car parks and residents' parking permit areas.

Cherwell's communications officer Shirley Carnegie said: "Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) has delegated powers to Cherwell District Council to prosecute people who park without the correct permits.

"Normally you can issue an immediate penalty there and then. But OCC won't allow Cherwell to issue excess charges. Cherwell's only option is to prosecute. This can be lengthy and time consuming as we have to develop a file and prove that people are violating the traffic order more than once in order to take them to court.

"We are already in the process of taking enforcement action in the Henley Gardens/Victoria Road area. We can assure people that the wardens do not stop work after 6pm and patrol on a random basis. They do spot checks and part of their job is to build on these prosecution files if people are breaching the parking restrictions.

"To try to improve the time it takes to carry out enforcement action, we are making representations to OCC to request that we be given delegated powers to implement measures other than prosecution which will be quicker and easier to implement.

"We appreciate the concerns of residents who have paid their permits and yet are being troubled by illegal parking and we are committed to finding a solution to the problem."