Crackdown on drivers parking illegally on taxi rank outside Preston Minster

Civil enforcement officers from Lancashire County Council and Preston City Council will be joining forces to tackle the issue with a series of visits.

The first enforcement visit will take place on the evening of Friday, July 15. The visits will build on previous enforcement exercises, which included penalty charge notices being issued to drivers who had parked illegally.

County Coun Charlie Edwards, cabinet member for highways and transport at Lancashire County Council, said: "We fully support a vibrant city centre economy and taxis play a key part of that.

"Unfortunately members of the public are illegally parking in the taxi bays which is causing a problem.

"On Friday and Saturday evenings in particular, taxis are finding they are unable to use the rank because it is already full with cars which shouldn't be there.

"People wanting a taxi are quite rightly going to the rank, which is what it is designed for, but the taxis are forced to wait elsewhere or pick people up in the middle of the road causing an obvious danger.

“Many of the people parking in the rank illegally are either on a night out or staying in Preston overnight.

“There are alternative places for drivers to park their cars. Motorists can use Winckley Square and the Avenham Street Pay & Display, where people can park for free overnight. There is also the option of the bus station car park.”

Coun David Borrow, cabinet member for planning and regulation at Preston City Council, said: “Hackney carriages play an integral role in ensuring that visitors to Preston’s city centre can get home both quickly and safely.

“Only licensed hackney carriages are permitted to park in an authorised hackney carriage rank during its operational times. The longstanding issue of private vehicles parking in the Church Street rank in the evening causes disruption by preventing licensed vehicles from using these dedicated spaces effectively.

“It’s anticipated that proactive parking enforcement of private vehicles parked on the rank will not only assist the licensed hackney carriage trade, but will also improve public safety for pedestrians and road users in the area.”