No parking fines have been issued in one Co Tyrone town for over a decade, it has emerged.
DUP MLA Keith Buchanan has expressed concern and queried the lack of enforcement patrols in Coalisland.
He said he has been raising the matter over several years.
“Following publicity, there was at least one patrol in the town in 2016 when two warning notices were issued,” he said.
“At the time the department said ‘this was the final patrol in which warning notices were to be issued instead of penalty charge notices’.
“Having been placed on a ‘final warning’ in 2016, not a single enforcement notice has been issued since that time.
“Clearly no tickets can be issued if no patrols have taken place so I will be seeking further detail around the number of patrols within Coalisland over this period.”
Responding, a spokesman for the Department for Communities said: “Traffic attendants (TAs) are routinely deployed to areas with the greatest need for enforcement.
“Coalisland is not patrolled on a routine basis because there are very few parking restrictions in the town and experience demonstrates that when visited there has been no enforcement action required.
“Coalisland has approximately 400 metres of restrictions compared to Cookstown which has approx. 8,000 metres of restrictions.
“Although Coalisland is not routinely patrolled by TAs the department will continue to respond to requests for enforcement, when the need arises, or when requested and resources are available.
“There have been no PCNs issued in Coalisland by the department.”
