MORE than 40,000 parking tickets, worth £1.2m in fines, have been issued in Epping Forest since the council took control of parking enforcement 22 months ago.

Figures released by Epping Forest Council show that from October, 2002 to July, 2004, 40,338 tickets were issued by contractors Vinchi Park, which at £30 a time the minimum fine comes to £1,210,140 in revenue.

The news will further infuriate traders in parking hotspots such as High Street, Epping; Queen's Road, Buckhurst Hill and High Road, Loughton, who have reported massive drops in custom with over-zealous wardens taking advantage of antiquated parking restrictions to issue high numbers of tickets, scaring off passing trade.

It was eight months after taking control that Epping Forest Council decided which parking restrictions most needed to be over-hauled, during which quick-fix solutions were implemented, such as removing yellow lines, which police wardens had previously ignored, from Hemnall Street, Epping, after residents received more than £1,000 in fines for parking outside their homes.

The council's parking reviews are now underway with the responses to consultations in Epping and Buckhurst Hill now being re-assessed. Loughton is next on the list, with the review due to begin in a couple of months.

The council has previously admitted reviews of other areas including Waltham Abbey town centre, Theydon Bois station, North Weald, Roydon, Chigwell and Ongar could take years because of a lack of resources.

Epping Forest MP Eleanor Laing this week said she would urge district councillors to make the parking reviews a priority, to safeguard the vibrancy of local high streets.

She said: "People who own shops and businesses are concerned by the way in which parking is now administered and enforced, badly affecting their businesses. I'm fanatically concerned about preserving our small shops, restaurants and businesses and if you discourage people from coming into the centre of our local communities, then we'll regret it when shops and restaurants start to close.

"I have every confidence that our councillors will take the necessary action to protect local businesses," she added.

The council's civil engineering portfolio holder Don Spinks said parking restrictions remained the same when the council took control of parking in October 2002 but enforcement levels increased.

He said: "Similarly, the reasons for enforcing parking restrictions, in particular single and double yellow lines, have also not changed, for example preventing obstructions, reducing congestion and maintaining road and pedestrian safety.

"Decriminalisation of parking is operating well with a number of the parking reviews currently underway. Income from parking tickets has yet to generate a surplus and it will be sometime before it does, at which point that income could only be spent on parking and traffic-related matters," he added.