MOTORISTS getting tickets to park in council car parks are being reminded to display them correctly.

Cotswold District Council has said that a lot of parking fines have been issued to people because the car park wardens have not been able to tell if someone has paid.

The fines are usually cancelled following a query, but the amount of time and effort involved for both the public and parking administrators is a concern for the council.

Councillor Chris Hancock, the district council's Cabinet Member for parking matters, said:

“Civil Enforcement Officers working for APCOA Parking UK Ltd check to see if people have paid to park, and when they see tickets displayed incorrectly – usually face down – they have no way of telling whether they are valid and must then issue a parking charge notice. For this reason, we would be very grateful if motorists could display the tickets correctly in their windscreens and save themselves the trouble of contacting APCOA to cancel the fine.

“Another option is to pay by mobile phone – the number plate is then logged automatically and the enforcement officers can check online to ensure that the parking fee has been paid. Details about how to use this payment method are displayed at each car park.”