Ticketed diners will be refunded

Customers who have been dining at one of the village's two new restaurants were both surprised and annoyed to discover they had a parking ticket when they returned to their car.

The Emerson Group, who own the cobbled street which runs alongside Piccolinos and Yu restaurants, have employed a private company to manage this area of private land and issue £100 fines to any vehicles parking on the cobbled road at any time. The fines issued by Comprehensive Management Services Ltd will be reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days.

A spokesperson from the Emerson Group said "We have been monitoring the car parking arrangements from the two newly opened restaurants to ensure our customers in the neighbouring office building have appropriate access and exit from the property to provide a safe route down the cobbled road."

"We initially wrote to both restaurants on the 5th December advising them that we would be commencing parking control along the route. On 7th December the signs were installed and we commenced the implementation of enforcement of the restrictions on the 9th December. However we recognise that a number of people have been concerned with this approach and the speed of the implementation, as a result, we have agreed to refund all tickets issued up to today, 17th December."

"We would however, ask that people respect use of the route by others and keep this access way clear in the future as it is an important route that is to be maintained for access by emergency vehicles, which has been essential in the past when there was a fire at the property a couple of years ago."