AN award-winning parking scheme is set to be rolled out across poor parking hot spots in Harwich and Manningtree.

Next month will see the launch of the Considerate Parking Initiative (CPI), which is aimed at changing people’s attitudes to where they leave their vehicles - and to think of other people’s needs.

Already successful in Brightlingsea where it was launched, the initiative has now won the Living Streets award at the British Parking Awards Ceremony last Friday.

It goes against conventional methods of ensuring the 30 million vehicles in the UK, which are parked up 90per cent of the time, can share the highway.

Instead of using regulations, restrictions, and enforcement the CPI relies on changing motorists’ behaviour.

The CPI will be run as a partnership between Tendring Council, Essex Police, Town and Parish Councils and the Tendring Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership with backing from the Essex Coalition of Disabled People.

Ian Taylor, assistant head of parking services at Tendring, said staff had already been out in the areas involved making an assessment of the hot spots to see what needs tackling.

“What we are specifically looking at is anti-social parking; that is parking which does not necessarily contravene any of the regulations but annoys and upsets people and can cause friction in the community,” he said.

“There are no easy short term answers to some of the issues we face but with support and co-operation we can win over hearts and minds.

“We want motorists to stop and think about where they are leaving their vehicles and what affect it can have on those around them.”

Issues set to be targeted will include parking in front of dropped kerbs, at junctions, on pavements and grass verges.

Any vehicle parked anti-socially will get a notice telling the owner exactly what the problem is.

Notices can be issued by PCSOs, Civil Enforcement Officers, Street Wardens and authorised officials – and they can follow up with a visit to the motorist’s home.

Photos will be taken of incidents and kept on a database making it possible to identify repeat offenders.

If people persist they may then be given a Fixed Penalty Notice as a last resort.