CLEARER signs are being put up in one of Basingstoke's town car parks after customers complained fines had been imposed when they were unaware the parking rules had changed.

Users of the Vyne Meadow car park returned to their cars earlier this month to find they had been given parking penalties, despite believing they had purchased a valid parking ticket.

They later found out from the borough council that parking regulations, limiting daily tickets to 25 per day, had actually been in force for over three years, but had not been strictly applied to make full use of the available parking spaces.

Robin Cruickshanks, one of those who was issued with a ticket, said: "I, and 40 to 50 other legitimate parking customers, were served with fixed penalties. The notice above the ticket machine made no reference to any changes in the conditions for parking. On investigation, there were two small notices stuck to either side of the ticket machine."

Explaining why daily ticket holders are now forbidden to use season ticket holder bays before 10am, a borough council spokeswoman said: "In recent months, daily ticket purchasers have tended to arrive before many of the season ticket holders, and the high level of daily ticket sales has resulted in more of the season ticket bays being taken up.

"A letter drop was carried out in the car park during the week commencing October 28 to advise users of the car park that the regulations would in future be enforced."

Following a large number of complaints, signage will be improved in the car park within the next two to three weeks.

Enforcement of the regulations will re-commence when the new signs are up.

The spokeswoman said tickets issued on November 14 to vehicles parked in the wrong space will be waived.