English seaside town DOUBLES parking fines to £160 on over 500 roads in blow to summer tourists

BRITS who park illegally in a seaside tourist hotspot face fines of up to £160 after council bosses launched a crackdown on “wild west” motorists. The move affects more than 500 roads close to the seven-mile-long seafront. Motorists who park illegally in Bournemouth, Dorset, will now be hit with £160 fines Credit: Alamy Stock Photo Bournemouth is popular with UK visitors and holidaymakers from abroad Credit: Alamy Live News. Motorists who park illegally in Bournemouth, Dorset, one of the UK’s top seaside destinations, will now be hit with £160 fines, up from £80 previously. At the height of the problem, locals complained some motorists were parking on roundabouts and even in private driveways. Sign up for the Travel newsletter Thank you! In a statement, Richard Herrett, a member of the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) council, said: “The inconsiderate, illegal, and dangerous parking we see on our seafront every single summer continues to put people at risk. “Illegal parking blights our communities, and it only gets worse during the summer. “The evidence is clear: tougher fines work. They cut illegal parking, improve safety and have strong backing from the people most affected.” Council officials said the doubling of the fines came into effect on August 4 and will stay in place until the end of the month. David Bailey, the president of the area’s destination management board, said the illegal parking in previous years had been unmanageable. He said: ‘We welcome everyone to Bournemouth – we are a tourist resort. Most read in Travel “We want everyone to come, but some people come and they park their cars in the craziest of places.” BCP council has also hiked penalties for drivers whose cars have to be towed away from £105 to £280. Comment now