From Monday May 12 Police Scotland will hand over responsibility to the local authority for enforcing parking restrictions.

By assuming the responsibility for parking enforcement, the council will be able to ensure effective traffic management in town centres.

This move is as a result of the police no longer employing traffic wardens.

The council will be employing six new amenity wardens to work alongside current wardens to deliver parking enforcement across the council area.

They will patrol all areas of Argyll and Bute where parking restrictions are in force. These include, but are not limited to, areas with yellow lines, pay and display bays, loading and unloading areas, disabled bays, limited waiting areas and off-street parking areas.

As well as ensuring effective traffic management the wardens will also address issues of dog fouling and littering.

Councillor Ellen Morton, policy lead for roads and amenity services, said: “I am pleased to see the council now assuming this responsibility. Parking is a big issue in our towns — it is maddening to see the same cars parked on the street for hours on end denying easy access for customers to local businesses.

“With these new powers we will be able to keep Argyll and Bute moving.

“We hope people will work with us to keep our town centres busy and presentable – if you park legally you won’t be fined. If you clear up after you dog, you won’t be fined. If you bin your litter, you won’t be fined.” From the go-live date first-time offenders will be issued with a warning notice rather than a penalty charge notice (PCN).

If vehicles park illegally following one of these warning notices, they are likely to receive a penalty charge notice.

Following this two week period (from Monday, May 26), all vehicles caught parking illegally will be issued with a PCN.

In line with national guidelines, the PCN is set at £60, to be paid within 28 days but if paid within 14 days, the charge is reduced to £30.

If unpaid, the charge increases to £90. Unpaid PCNs could result in the council instructing sheriff officers to pursue recovery of the debt, which may incur additional costs.

If you receive a PCN, to avoid the debt increasing, it is best to pay early.

Penalty charges can be paid through the 'pay it’ function on the council website, over the phone to our customer service centre, in person at any of our customer service points or via paypoint at a local shop.