Motorists will not be fined if they are snapped by CCTV cameras if they are parking illegally in Oxfordshire.

Since Monday, councils have had the power to use CCTV cameras to catch cars parked on double yellow lines or overstaying in parking bays.

They can then send a fine to the driver in the post.

But Oxfordshire County Council, which manages roads and on-street parking, has said it will not take up the option to enforce the law with cameras, for the time being.

The move has been supported by road campaigners, who have suggested the idea is a step towards a 'police state'.

Instead, the council plans to study the success of the system in other areas of the country before using cameras to collar illegal motorists in Oxfordshire.

Cabinet member for transport Ian Hudspeth said: "We have to make sure we have the correct technology in place. There is going to be a lot of disputes regarding it and we have got to make sure everyone is spot on before we go ahead with it.

"We are keeping a watchful eye on it to see how other authorities fare. One big problem would be drivers taken by surprise and we would have a large number of appeals.

"If it proves to be a robust method of parking enforcement, we will consider it. But at the moment there is too much ambiguity."

Councillors met in February to discuss the issue and have now decided to back a recommendation by officers to delay camera enforcement.

The law allows council CCTV control centre operators to issue tickets the second a car parks on a yellow line or overstays on a parking meter. Fines would be sent in the post even if the motorist was not aware they had been watched.

Steve Smith, the council's assistant head of transport, said: "While we do not discount the use of cameras, to supplement existing arrangements in the future, the council currently believes that the use of parking attendants, who regularly and visibly patrol, is a far better deterrent at stopping the problem of obstructive parking."

A spokesman for the Department for Transport said only one council, Medway Council, in Kent, planned to start using the cameras to catch rogue drivers.

But other councils were considering using the cameras, the spokesman added.

Mark McArthur-Christie, of driving think tank Forward, said: "This is good news and I hope the council continues to hold off.

"With parking enforcement, discretion has to be used - there is a world of difference between stopping on double yellow lines for a minute to use a cash machine, and obstructing prams and wheelchairs by parking over the pavement."

Graham Jones, of Rescue Oxford, which campaigns for better roads and transport in Oxford, said: "We need a fair balance.

"We don't want people taking advantage and parking on double yellow lines when there is a car park round the corner.

"But I support the council in not enforcing this because I do not want to live in a police state."