Law-breaking motorists parking indiscriminately along Kendal's main street without fear of prosecution are believed by many to be the root cause of the town's traffic ills, reports Mike Addison.

Those complaining point out that the problem is not being policed properly and motorists openly admit they are flouting parking regulations because there is no danger of receiving a fixed penalty ticket.

With radical plans to shake-up Kendal's traffic now in tatters, and South Lakeland District Council struggling to find the money to introduce decriminalised parking enforcement (DPE), the fear is that the problem could grow.

That's why the Gazette is today launching its Park at Your Peril campaign.

Over the coming weeks reporters will be making random checks on the flow of traffic through town and we shall publish photographs of motorists and delivery van drivers who deliberately ignore parking restrictions.

Members of the public are also being encouraged to call a special hotline number if they see anyone blatantly breaking the law.

Supporting the launch of the campaign, Kendal Town Centre manager Maria Appleton said since the town's traffic warden service was withdrawn by Cumbria Constabulary in March last year, parking problems had noticeably worsened, particularly in Stricklandgate, where loading and unloading is going on throughout the day and drivers are deliberately abusing the system because there is no policing of regulations.

The full scale of the problem is clear for all to see and we urge members of the public to phone our Park at Your Peril hotline on 01539-710161 to report any town centre parking misdemeanours.