DRIVERS breaking the rules in Bradford on Avon could be hit hard in a police crackdown on illegal parking.

From Monday police will clamp down on people who park on double yellow lines and restricted areas, handing out on the spot fines of £30.

Bradford sergeant Mark Rees said: "The town was mostly built during an era when the movement of a large volume of motor vehicles was not a consideration.

"In many ways the things that make the town a pleasant place to live and work, such as narrow roads and pavements, town houses with no parking facilities and restricted parking, are the very things which make it incompatible with the number of vehicles."

In April the police ran a similar campaign and dished out 25 tickets a day to drivers of illegally parked vehicles in the first weeks of the campaign.

By the end of it they were issuing an average of five a day.

Police hope this latest campaign will ease congestion in the town in the run up to Christmas.

In Silver Street traffic is regularly held up when people park in a loading bay and lorries have to be redirected up the narrow streets.

Chamber of commerce president Caroline Philpott said: "There needs to be a crackdown on people who use the loading bay when they think they will just stop for a quick five minutes to do some shopping and then it fouls up the traffic all the way up the street."

There are three main car parks in Bradford but all are on the opposite side of the river to the main shopping area.

Mrs Philpott said: "We could do with more parking facilities on this side of the river and perhaps in time we will be able to find space in the Kingston Mill site when that is developed.

"There are no signs telling people coming into town where the car parks are and we need to get that sorted out more than anything.

"I know there are also people who work in the town and park on the roadside and they should not get away with that because those are the spaces where people who want to shop in the town could park."

Sgt Rees said the crackdown would begin with an advisory campaign before tickets would be issued.

Bradford town councillor Malcolm Hewson said: "Bradford people will support police action to discourage illegal parking particularly coming up to Christmas.

"Whatever view one takes about the town's traffic problems, everyone recognises that a very small number of badly parked vehicles can bring chaos to motorists and is dangerous for pedestrians."