A CRACKDOWN on illegal parking in the town will begin next month. 

Wokingham Borough Council will be taking control over parking legislation from the police in October. 

Dangerous parking is the council's main priority, after a 2015 survey discovered that one in four cars was parked illegally in and around Wokingham. 

Cllr Chris Bowring, executive member for highways and transport, said: “Our utmost priority when taking over parking enforcement is to ensure drivers, pedestrians and cyclists can access our borough safely.

“Illegal and inconsiderate parking can cause hazards for emergency services, other road users and pedestrians.

“Parking enforcement is also there to ensure traffic flows more easily and people can find suitable spaces near to shopping areas, which is good for our economy."

Cllr Bowring was also quick to reassure residents that money raised by parking fines is put straight back into funding the service and investing in parking and transport. 

The change in parking legislation means that it will be council parking officers, not police, who enforce yellow lines, loading restrictions and time-limited/residents/disabled bays.