MOTORISTS are free to flout parking laws in a town centre street after a missing parking sign revealed a legal loophole. Drivers can legally park in the lower High Street in Harpenden for as long as they like without getting a ticket because signs telling

MOTORISTS are free to flout parking laws in a town centre street after a missing parking sign revealed a legal loophole.

Drivers can legally park in the lower High Street in Harpenden for as long as they like without getting a ticket because signs telling drivers that they can park there free for one hour have gone missing.

Resident of East Common, Harpenden, Robert Hill, made the discovery after he noticed five vans belonging to building contractors parked in the stretch of road outside the Methodist church at around 9am last Wednesday.

They were still there when Mr Hill returned at 12.30pm and, knowing that motorists could not park for more than one hour free of charge in the Lower High Street, he called the St Albans District Council parking control office.

He asked if the company who owned the vans had special dispensation as it was doing work to the church but the council employee said he knew of no such arrangement.

The employee called back later to say the council had investigated but the vans were legally parked because the sign explaining the parking laws was missing.

A district council spokesperson said they realised on last Wednesday that a number of signs explaining parking restrictions in the lower High Street were missing.

As a result a review of the area was being carried out and they had placed an urgent order for replacements which would be installed as soon as possible.

He added: "The matter has been discussed with the company concerned and they have reminded their employees not to take advantage of the lack of signing.