Nick Bye: Pounding the streets

Nick Bye said he wants to hear first hand why complaints have soared in Torquay in recent months.

Parking fines rose six fold, from 4,581 in 2004 to 28,500 last year - about 80 a day - after national parking firm NCP took over duties in Torbay.

One pub landlord put yellow signs in his window barring wardens.

And gift shops are selling T shirts with a seagull and a parking attendant and the question: "Which one will s*** on you first?"

But Mr Bye said complaints had "got out of hand".

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He said: "It is wrong to always blame the attendants for issuing the fixed penalty notices. They are simply doing their job.

"However, it is important that we as a council listen to the people we serve, and there have certainly been some important issues that have been raised since we took on the enforcement role."

He said that despite the huge rise in fines, the council was still making a small loss from parking enforcement after paying setting up costs including a new IT system and extra staff.

The council pays �543,000 a year to NCP and is expecting to break even in four years' time.

Tim Cowen, of NCP, said: "We get a fee from keeping the traffic flowing. It's not based on ticket numbers."