A WARRIORS fan was disappointed to be fined £70 for parking on Shire Business Park, despite, along with hordes of other fans, having done so for years.

89-year-old season ticket holder Louis Riley has been parking on a discreet spot in Wainwright Road for more than 10 years, away from grass verges and double yellow lines, though he admits others are more adventurous.

He, like many others, returned to his car after the defeat to Newcastle Falcons on Saturday afternoon to see fines stuck to their windscreens – with “no prior warning”.

The Malvern pensioner said that while there is limited parking available at Sixways Stadium, it is “always full” on matchdays, despite the fact he parks up two hours before games.

And while parking on the business park is illegal, there’s “nowhere else to park”, added Mr Riley.

“Since this road and verges are full with Warriors fans and have never previously been targeted, I wonder if this represents a toughening of the parking laws by Worcester City Council,” Mr Riley told the Worcester News.

He said he was worried that the enforcement action may encourage fans to stop attending Warriors matches and he feels the council should do more to “support the local team”.

City councillor Stephen Hodgson said he believes over 100 cars were ticketed on the business park on Saturday – and he said he wished such enforcement was a daily occurrence.

Cllr Hodgson, who represents Warndon Parish North, said that while he “understood the annoyance” of being caught, the parking restrictions “are in place for a reason”.

“There are businesses on the estate who operate at weekends and have complained about illegal parking,” Cllr Hodgson told the Worcester News.

The councillor said he also believes that warnings have been issued previously to supporters for not obeying parking restrictions.

“Cars parking on the grass verges causes damage and there is a common misunderstanding that because you are not parked on the road you can’t receive a penalty,” he added. “Where lines are in place, the restriction applies to the footpath and verge.”

Cllr Hodgson went on to say that he wished there were “similar levels of enforcement on working days where illegal and inconsiderate parking is a daily occurrence”.

But he also raised concerns that, although enforcement is important, he hopes it doesn’t cause “displacement of cars into residential areas on match days with the resulting problems that will cause to residents”.

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