ILLEGAL parking problems are threatening to drive businesses out of town, business leaders have warned.

Wantage and District Chamber of Commerce says problem parking is 'strangling' parts of the town and at least two businesses are considering moving out of the centre.

The chamber said vehicles take advantage of lax enforcement to sit on single yellow lines for long periods making deliveries difficult.

Chamber chairman, Matthew Chapman of Chapman Worth accountants in Newbury Street said "Several of the main streets leading to the Market Place are being clogged by illegally parked cars making the town unattractive to visitors and shoppers and making life difficult for those of us who work in the town.

"A number of our members are reporting a direct impact on their businesses which is leading some to consider a move out of the town.

"It is not uncommon for streets with double yellow lines to be occupied 24 hours a day and at times vehicles have been parked in the 30 minute spaces for two to three weeks without moving.

"We would like to discuss the matter with those responsible for parking enforcement as we would all like to see a sensible approach taken. Nobody wants to see visitors hounded out of town by over enthusiastic parking attendants, but at the same time, the gridlocked streets need to be unblocked."

On-street parking in Wantage is currently the responsibility of Thames Valley Police, but chamber president John Naish said his group did not blame the police for not enforcing it, saying 'frankly, they have more important things to do'.

Instead he called on local councils to take control of the problem – known as 'decriminalised parking' – to save the police time and money, and especially called for consideration to be given to regulated parking in Mill Street and Wallingford Street to allow drivers to park for up to half an hour.

However Oxfordshire County Council, the highways authority, said in a statement: "Decriminalised parking has been investigated previously and found to not be financially viable and would place additional burden on the public purse.

"Given the economic climate for local government there are no current plans to pursue it."

The council also said police did take action in response to local concerns about parking.

With regard to the chamber’s request for additional short-stay parking on Mill Street and Wallingford Street, the county council said: "This will be considered to see if some relaxation of existing restrictions might be possible. However it should be remembered that these are key routes in and out of the town centre and we need to try to ensure traffic (including local buses) can get through."