ST TEATH Parish Council decided to employ a part-time traffic warden in Delabole at its latest meeting on Monday, January 16.

The traffic warden will be on duty for one hour a week with any car found to be parked in an illegal position, receiving a parking ticket.

While the exact date of when the warden will start is still to be determined, the move is designed to stop the ongoing traffic problems in the village with local residents often struggling to move their cars, while drivers who are making their way through the village often find themselves stuck.

Particular areas of concern in the village are next to the Spar shop, Delabole Primary School during the mornings and between 3pm and 3.30pm when parents come to collect their children and at Pengelly where space is tight for cars and other modes of transport to get through.

At Spar, the shop has constant deliveries.

However, delivery lorries and other vehicles park outside on the double yellow lines, taking up a significant space, which in turn causes congestion.

Cllr Andrew Stacey delivered a passionate rant on the potential dangers around Spar at the meeting.

Cllr Stacey said: “The shop is causing chaos. Drivers leave their doors open and people can’t get through. There needs to be railings put around the front of Spar so people can’t park there because if not someone is going to be killed very very soon.”

Cllr Cerys Hartt advocated the idea of going in and talking to the school and the nearby florist shop, to try and get them to tell people of the dangers and problems caused by parking on double yellow lines and positioning themselves where other cars struggle to get through.

Cllr Hartt said: “We need to go and speak to the owners of these shops and the governors of the local school to get them to do more to stop these traffic problems.”

While it may seem to many that paying someone for just one hour a week won’t make a massive difference, chairman Alan Woollard hopes that the word of mouth will do just that.

Cllr Woollard said: “Although having someone on duty for just one hour a week might not seem like much, we think it will make a big difference.

“Once the traffic warden issues out a few tickets then the word of mouth will get around that people are being done for parking in wrong places and hopefully it will make people think to themselves that the traffic warden may be around, so we’ll park somewhere where we should.”

The traffic warden will be paid £35 per week, which works out at just over £1,800 per year, however Cornwall Councillor for St Breward, St Teath and Delabole, Dominic Fairman, who pushed the idea, has spoken to councillors who have trialled a similar idea.

Cllr Fairman said: “It was my idea in the first place after talking to the local community fire station. They were having access problems on callouts at the bottom of Pengelly. So when there were emergencies they were struggling to get through which obviously caused them massive problems.

“Around there the yellow double lines had faded, so cars were parked up in places where they shouldn’t be. Cornwall Council in recent times have stopped spending money on re-painting double yellow lines but because in this case it was such an important safety issue I went to the enforcement team and they agreed to do it.

“We’ve had the odd traffic warden come up before just to advise people and tell them what’s right and wrong so hopefully people respond and make everyone’s life easier by parking in the right places.

“We hope to get the contract drawn up and signed soon so we can start solving the traffic problems in Delabole.”