POLICE in East Lothian will be tasked with enforcing the council’s coastal car parking charges when they are introduced, it has been revealed.

East Lothian Council insists that it is on course to introduce charges over the next couple of months, but with no traffic wardens in place it will rely on police officers to issue fines.

The news has angered opposition SNP councillors, who are opposed to the charges and say the public do not want police time taken up patrolling the car parks.

Councillor Stuart Currie, SNP opposition leader on the council, said: “People want the police concentrating on serious crime, not chasing people who have not paid a £2 parking fee.

“Do the council really expect them to make enforcing car park fines a priority?

“The police don’t have enough resources to cope with people parking illegally in our high streets, never mind the coastal car parks.” The Courier told last month how East Lothian Council had opted to install pay and display machines at all 10 car parks involved in the new charges, scrapping plans to use barriers.

The £2 daily rate will be enforced all year round between 8am and 6.30pm between April and September each year of operation, and 8am to 4pm from October until March.

People will be able to buy £40 season tickets which will give them free parking at the car parks.

The council has also applied for traffic regulation orders to allow them to create an additional 15.7km of new double yellow lines in and around the car parks.

A spokesperson for East Lothian Council confirmed that Police Scotland would be issuing fines to people who failed to pay for parking.

They said: “The enforcement of car parking charges will be the responsibility of Police Scotland; they will administer this and any revenue raised by failure to pay for parking goes to the Crown.” Inspector Alan Hogarth of Police Scotland said that local officers were aware that parking charges were about to be introduced.

He said: “Although the local authority will be responsible for managing the car parks, all reports of parking offences will be handled by police officers, who will take appropriate measures as and when required and in line with the Road Traffic Act.” Parking charges are being introduced at Longniddry Bents (three car parks), Gullane Bents, Yellowcraig, Whitesands, Barns Ness and the three car parks at John Muir Country Park – Linkfield, Shore Road, and Tyninghame Links.

Mr Currie described the plans to police the charges as a “shambles”.

He said: “I think people in East Lothian will be very angry that not only are they paying for the work to be done in these car parks, any fines will go to the Crown.

“What we are seeing is Labour determined to introduce something which was not in their manifesto come hell or high water.

“The police have better things to do than enforce the council’s car parking charges.” East Lothian Council is currently drawing up a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ document which will be made available to the public before the charges are introduced.