TRADERS in Whaddon have called for traffic wardens to bring an end to a "crazy" parking problem which has created a safety hazard for customers.

Business owners in Whaddon Road claim enforcement officers have started a crackdown on anyone caught parking on the road side of the pavement outside their shops – slapping them with £30 fines.

They say people have parked there for years in order to avoid cluttering the narrow stretch of road, which is already busy with pedestrians coming and going at a nearby bus stop.

Now, in a farcical situation, motorists are stopping on the privately-owned paving area directly outside the shops to avoid being penalised.

Peter Badham, who runs Badham Pharmacy, called for a common sense approach to put an end to the problem.

"It's a crazy situation," he said. "It has got to the stage where you've got people parking right outside our doors – just feet from the entrance.

"If you are approaching the shop on foot, you don't want to have to contend with moving vehicles in your way.

"It's a potential safety hazard and it could have a negative impact on business too."

Traders said customers had been parking on the road side of the walkway without being penalised for years because of the narrow road.

A long-term solution was suggested to install a lay-by in the paving area next to the roadside. But it is understood there was not enough funding for the project, leaving people to carry on as before.

Mr Badham added: "Of course we would like a lay-by, but in the short term if we could go back to how it was before it would stop this problem from arising.

"People have been parking there for the past 40 years so I'm not sure why someone suddenly decided it was a good idea to move the goalposts."

Vas Stylianou, who runs nearby Whaddon Fish Bar, echoed the sentiments.

"It affects business owners as well as customers," he said. "I have been fined three times in the past few weeks.

"It seems logical that we keep our part of the pavement for people to walk on, and the other part for parking on. Otherwise it's the wrong way round."

Rebecca Banner, parking administration manager at the borough council, denied there had been an increase in the number of tickets handed out in the area.

She added: "If there are problems we would be happy to discuss them with traders."