OUT of 278 parking tickets issued across one council ward in East Lothian last year, 273 were handed out at one beach car park.

Concern about the lack of tickets issued on the streets of Prestonpans was raised by Preston, Seton, Gosford ward councillor Neil Gilbert after he revealed the breakdown of fines in his ward.

He said that 273 of tickets issued by parking attendants in the ward had been at Longniddry Bents No.3 car park – with just five issued elsewhere.

During the same period of time an estimated 1,100 tickets were issued in Tranent town centre, he added.

Speaking at a meeting of Prestonpans Community Council, Mr Gilbert questioned whether parking attendants would have been better used on the town’s High Street or outside schools where the issue of irresponsible parking has been raised several times by concerned parents.

However, Martin Whitfield, East Lothian MP and former community council chairman, said that children at the schools had been asked whether they believed fines would make a difference to the parking problem during a previous consultation and came out against it.

He said: “The children said they thought speaking to parents themselves and with community wardens was a better way of tackling the issue than handing out tickets.”

Community councillor DJ Johnston-Smith said a case should be made for the private parking attendants, who were brought in by East Lothian Council at the start of 2017, to spend more time in the ward given the higher level of ticketing in neighbouring Tranent.

He said: “There is a discrepancy between the two wards [Preston, Seton, Gosford and Tranent, Wallyford and Macmerry]. There are restrictions on our High Street but it is not stopping people ignoring them. Perhaps the parking attendants could spend more time here.”

East Lothian Council said it only had three parking attendants on duty at any one time and they travelled from town to town.

A spokesperson said: “We respond to numerous requests in town centres, especially around primary schools where parents and carers seem to continuously ignore restrictions and park in poor areas along with reported problem streets.

"The council is trying to grow the service by introducing more parking attendants but it must be acknowledged that the service itself is funded by the penalty charge notices issued.

“The coastal car parks are also enforceable all-year-round, generating vital income through parking charges for improvement works such as the work that is about to start on the toilet blocks at Longniddry Bents.

"Having a parking attendant presence at these locations reminds visitors that the parking charges levied allow the council to generate income to improve facilities.”