Plans to proceed with the decriminalisation of parking in north Wiltshire have been given the go-ahead by district councillors.

Traditionally, the police and their traffic wardens have been responsible for parking, but the Government is keen to devolve parking powers to local councils.

And having agreed to support the scheme in principle last May, executive members of the district council rubber-stamped the plan last Thursday night.

The change will mean north Wiltshire drivers who incur a parking ticket will no longer be committing a criminal offence.

District councillor Ross Henning, lead member for decriminalising parking on the district council, said: "We have been working on this for a long time. It is about bringing back traffic wardens, but managed by us.

"Parking is a problem everywhere. Ten years ago we used to have eight traffic wardens in Chippenham and now it is a free for all on the streets.

"Administering car parking is not something the police should be doing. They should be out catching criminals instead."

But district and county councillor Toby Sturgis said decriminalising parking was just a way generating income for the district council.

He said: They cannot just use this money for other things. They have got to use the extra money to provide better car parking."

A timetable has been set to introduce the decriminalisation of parking by September 2006.

The district and county councils are due to have another meeting on the subject on March 22.