RESIDENTS have parked their cars on the streets of Beaconsfield for many years without fear of a traffic warden.

But many drivers are now being hit with £35 fines after private parking firm NSL took over enforcement duties from the town’s police officers at the start of December.

Several roads in the New Town have hour-long waiting restrictions to stop drivers parking all day, though until recently, a lack of police resources meant this usually went unpunished.

Wendy Ridgley, who lives on Garvin Avenue, was issued with a parking ticket just before Christmas. The 49-year-old said: "We’ve been parking there for 15 years and never had a problem.

"I’ve not got a driveway and now I can’t leave my car on the road. I have to worry about moving it every day now.

"It’s horrendous to be treating the residents like this. I know we would have to pay for permits but I’d rather do that."

Neighbour Beverley Knight, 53, who also got a ticket last month, said: "There’s about 20 people on the road who have had tickets.

"We’ve parked on these yellow lines for years and nothing has ever happened. Suddenly everyone has started getting tickets. We haven’t been offered permits or anything."

NSL is contracted by Bucks County Council, whose transport boss Peter Hardy said: "We’ll be meeting with the residents shortly to discuss the situation.

"We are looking at whether there’s anything we can do for them in the short-term. We definitely want to help. The difficulty is the time it will take to introduce parking permits."

The council is currently conducting a wider review of parking within Beaconsfield, which could result in restrictions being introduced on more roads near the station (see related links).

This came after some residents complained about rail commuters parking in their road and blocking driveways.