Parking fiasco at Warwick’s Remembrance events

On Tuesday those wanting to pay their respects in Church Street were divided by cars parked on the street when the Pay and Display bays should have been closed.

And on Sunday morning there was huge confusion over the bays on Church Street and Northgate Street which the council had requested their new on-street parking contractors, NSL, to close.

Town council leader Gerry Guest said: “On Sunday there seemed confusion on all sides with the police closing the roads but no signs to say the parking bays were suspended.

“Traffic cones were only put out at 10.25am and that could have led to embarrassment. I’m told there was also confusion on Tuesday.”

Warwick town clerk Derek Maudlin was furious and felt the whole town had been let down. He was particularly upset by NSL because, following Sunday’s mix-up, he had received every assurance the bays would be closed.

Mr Maudlin said: “We were totally failed on Armistice Day. This showed a lack of care or a lack or organisation. Fortunately the police came to the rescue and moved some of the cars out of the bays.”

Warwickshire County Council has promised to investigate and admits it was not the level of service it sought to provide for such a sombre occasion.

At the Nottingham-based NSL, which organises on-street parking for some 60 local authorities, Dr Belinda Webb said: “No parking bays were put in place in Church Street due to a miscommunication arising from a planned closure of this road.

“We are very sorry this occurred and are wasting no time into looking into how this can be learned from so that it doesn’t happen again.”