Unregistered cars acting as delivery vehicles for Oldham takeaways have been parking on double yellows, evading parking officers and ignoring penalty fines, bosses say. Cabinet member for neighbourhoods Councillor Hannah Roberts told a full council meeting that parking problems on Union Street in the town centre have increased alongside a rise in hot food takeaway and home delivery services.
The council is now exploring ways to restrict parking on the street - which is already marked with double yellow lines - as despite parking tickets being issued, some cars which are not registered to an owner have accrued 'considerable debt' which is going unpaid. The issue has been escalated to Greater Manchester Police, councillors were told.
The discussion came as a question from resident David Barker was read out by the Mayor Elaine Garry, in which he asked what was being done about the parking problems in the town centre which were often affecting the tram line. "As a resident who often travels on the Metrolink through the town centre in the evening, it is an all too frequent occurrence to have a tram brought to a halt on Union Street by a car stopped in the road obstructing the route of the tram," he stated.
