NEW parking spaces in Maryport are an 'invitation to an accident'.

This is the opinion of mayor Peter Kendall and the town council after three parking bays were marked out on the High Street.

The bays appear to have caught everyone by surprise - including the local traffic warden.

A High Street resident said she saw three cars with parking tickets on their windscreen the first day the new bays were painted up, although that could not be confirmed this week.

It is the safety of the parking bays, however, that remains the issue.

The turn into High Street from Shipping Brow, a main thoroughfare into the town, is a blind corner. Cars turning into High Street are forced into the middle of the road immediately after turning.

Cars coming from John Street into High Street will also tend to veer to the centre of the road.

Mayor Peter Kendall questioned the placement of the bays. "I think it is an accident waiting to happen. We want all the parking we can get in Maryport but not at the risk of causing a car crash."

The resident near the new bays agreed: "If you are travelling down High Street towards Shipping Brow you have to travel on the wrong side of the road. Typically if a car is coming up Shipping Brow turning left onto High Street, it is a blind corner and will end up being a head-on collision."

A Cumbria County Council spokesman said despite the concerns, there were no objections to the traffic regulation order when it was published.

"The new parking bay was installed to help address the need for more parking provisions in the area.

"The parking bay was installed as part of a larger TRO (Traffic Regulation Order) review which has been fully consulted upon. No responses or objections were received."

The statement continued: "The parking bay starts at around 15m from the junction, in line with others in the vicinity and the wider area.

"Drivers should be able to negotiate both it and the junction with little issue, albeit at perhaps slower speeds and with greater caution, particularly those turning onto High Street.

"Often new traffic schemes take time for highway users to become used to the changes. We will however continue to monitor the situation.”