Stores must receive goods without parking penalties

Shoppers who are running a quick errand on the high street

often come back to a parking ticket or their vehicle clammed. So too do delivery vans who are delivering goods to shops.

High street retailers face a hit to business after hauliers warned that deliveries are under threat because of a surge in the number of parking tickets awarded to van drivers.

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has told MPs the high volume of tickets in some urban areas “has made some deliveries no longer economically viable”.

Retail shops and boutiques rely on receiving fresh stock regularly, and often times vans have large volume boxes or hanging containers of clothing and shoes, which must be carried from the van to the boutique. Drivers must be able to park closely to stores and deliver goods without fear of being ticketed, clamped or having their vehicles removed.

According to evidence given to the Transport Select Committee, some distribution companies now employ full-time staff to contest penalty charge notices. Ministers, notably Eric Pickles, the Local Government Secretary, have already voiced concern that overzealous parking enforcement is keeping shoppers out of the high street.