PARKING wardens could be faced with angry residents when a proposed ban on dropped kerb parking comes in, councillors have warned.

Swindon Borough Council officers were given the go-ahead to invoke laws allowing them to punish drivers who park over dropped kerbs and crossing places.

The rules will come into force following a short public consultation.

Fionuala Foley, cabinet member for highways, said the move could be controversial.

Speaking at a meeting of the cabinet, she said: “While there will be a lot of people like ourselves welcoming this, I think there will also be those residents in areas where parking is tight, such as our more urban bits of Swindon.

“People park wherever they can so they will probably be equally unhappy when we start enforcing this.

“I hope that we will support our enforcement teams who go out there and face the wrath of residents who will go ‘where else do you expect me to park?’.”

Bob Wright (Lab), a central ward councillor, supported Coun Foley’s comments: “I have areas where without parking on kerbs emergency vehicles will not be able to get past.”

He also said he was worried there may not be enough parking wardens to enforce the changes.

Some councillors pressed cabinet members to go further and seek a ban on all pavement parking. The discussion followed a motion taken to full council last year by Mary Martin and Matthew Courtliff asking for action on cars blocking pavements.

Coun Courtliff (Lab) told the meeting: “A great deal of residents I’ve been speaking with will be disappointed that there will be no action taken on normal footpaths where still we see people pushing prams or on mobility scooters, who won’t gain anything out of this.

“While it is good that something is happening, I think it lacks ambition and falls short of what our residents were hoping.”

Jason Humm, head of highways, said it was important to wait to see how the ban on dropped kerb parking went before looking at a wider pavement parking ban.

He added: “If there is additional legislation that allows us to consider wider pavement parking then I believe that would be the commitment between myself and the cabinet member to explore the art of the possible with that.”

Coun Courtliff responded: “I’m reassured to hear this is the start and not the finish.”

It is expected that the new dropped kerb parking restrictions will come into force later this year.