WORKMEN resurfacing streets in Bury town centre got a shock when their transit van and digger were given parking tickets.

The team work for civil engineers J Hopkins but were contracted to carry out the work by Bury Council, who also happen to contract out their parking enforcement operation to NCP. The workmen had been resurfacing back streets in the Cecil Street area, before moving two of their vehicles - a digger and a transit van - into Cecil Street so they could finish the job.

The vehicles were parked mounting the kerb opposite the Mosses Centre, with cones in the road to ensure it was not an obstruction.

Road surfacer Jim McGuire (45) said: "We have been surfacing several back streets in the area and we had nowhere else to leave the vehicles, so we parked them halfway up the kerb. We were getting on with our work, when a traffic warden came and gave us the tickets.

"All he said was that we were breaking the law. I would have just moved them if he had asked, but he just gave us the tickets.

"I would understand if we were blocking the traffic, but we weren't. The vehicles were parked mostly on the kerb, but with enough space for people to walk past. How are we supposed to do our work? We're contracted to Bury Council, so they'll probably have to pay the fines anyway."

However, Bury Council said that although the workmen had a parking exemption to carry out the work, they did not follow regulations and would have to pay the parking fines.

A spokesperson said: "The photographs taken by the parking attendant do not show any workmen next to or near to the vehicles and therefore the attendant was correct to issue parking tickets. Furthermore, the vehicles have cones placed around them indicating that no work is being carried out and have parked partially on the footpath affecting pedestrian access.

"The contractor is correct in that they have an exemption for carrying out highway works, but this is not supported with the information we have to hand. The contractor or the workmen should at this stage appeal the Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) by writing with any supporting documentation to NCP Ltd."