BOGUS parking tickets are having their desired effect – by encouraging drivers to be more considerate.

The unique pilot scheme sees the tickets issued to drivers who have parked “inconsiderately”, but who haven’t broken the law.

For example, people who park partly on pavements to the extent wheelchairs can’t pass by, those who block drives or park close to junctions.

The Considerate Parking Initiative has been running successfully in Brightlingsea for some weeks and could be coming to Manningtree and Harwich, towns with similar traffic complaints.

The tickets, deliberately designed to fool drivers, are left on the windscreen.

They feature the logos of both the district council and town council. Details of the vehicle, the time and date and the reason for the ticket are written on.

Police keep the incident details and if the same driver is caught parking inconsiderately again, they could be fined.

Janet Aldridge, Brightlingsea town councillor responsible for transport and highways, said: “They are designed to make people think they have got a parking ticket. When they read it, they realise they haven’t and there’s no fine attached.”

She said the scheme was introduced because of grey areas in traffic law which could anger residents, but weren’t worthy of a parking ticket.

“Small towns like us weren’t built for this number of cars,” she added.

Mrs Aldridge said while police and parking attendants patrol the streets and issue the tickets, she is tasked with visiting individuals afterwards to explain why they had been ticked off.

She added: “I am pleased with how it is going and pleased with the public’s attitude, because once you explain to them about how, for example, a fire engine couldn’t get round and that the authorities could enforce restrictions, they understand.”

The scheme has been running jointly with Tendring Council, the town council, Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership and Brightlingsea police.