Ref. 29775Business owners on a trading estate in Old Town saw red after council officials painted double yellow lines in error.

The proprietors of businesses on the Central Trading Estate in Signal Way were getting on with business on Tuesday morning when council workmen arrived to paint the yellow lines.

Rupert Williams, of trading estate site agents Hinton Newport, said: "We conducted a survey among the businesses on the estate to find out where they would like to see lines. It was decided the best place was on the access road to the estate.

"People looking for free spaces were parking on the access road and because this is a trading estate, there is going to be a fair amount of heavy goods traffic."

Instead yellow lines were painted from the access road all the way along the trading estate in front of the business units and around the cul-de-sac at the end of the road.

But yesterday afternoon council workmen arrived to blackout the lines.

John Spencer, a partner at Dudley and Spencer French Polisher's, said: "Not all of the work units here have customer parking so we were concerned that customers would park on lines and find themselves getting tickets which would drive away our business."

Dudley Green of DG Office Interiors said: "This a complete farce. What is it going to cost us after the lines were marked out, laid down and now they are being removed again? No doubt the cost will fall to us the taxpayer."

Colin Holman, who runs Holman Specialist Paints, said: "People who go to trading estates are there to go and collect or buy something. They park for a short time. Fortunately we have a small car park but if these lines had been permanent it could have been a real problem for other businesses on the estate.

"I am relieved though that the council realised their mistake and are putting it right."

Adrian Dean, group officer of the council's traffic management and road safety department, said: "Double yellow lines have been painted in error on Signal Way from a point near Quentin Road to the end of the cul-de-sac.

"These will be removed as soon as possible and will not be enforced while they remain on the carriageway. The council would like to apologise for any confusion caused."

It is not the first time errors have been made with the town's yellow lines. In March 2002, some 18 metres of treble yellow lines were confusing drivers on Stanier Street near Commercial Road.

Anthony Osborne