A CAMPAIGN launched to stop van owners from receiving a £70 parking penalty notice while they enjoy an early morning visit to South Fistral has failed.

An extend parking hours for vans on Esplanade Road appeal was started following a number of surfers, dog walkers and people taking part in exercise being caught out by Cornwall Council's civil enforcement officers.

Pentire and Newquay Central Cornwall councillor Joanna Kenny, Cornwall Council parking enforcement team and Pentire Residents’ Association met to discuss various ideas that could be introduced to combat the “draconian” restriction but said none would provide “effective enforcement.”

Cornwall Council introduced the parking restriction between midnight and 9am for vans, campervans and commercial vehicles to stop people sleeping in their vehicles overnight and turning the street into a campsite.

But many people who drive vans and campervans that have parked along Esplanade Road in the morning before 9am to enjoy an activity in the area have found themselves with a parking penalty notice slapped on their vehicle.

Cllr Kenny said the local van owners who want to visit South Fistral before 9am could either park elsewhere in Pentire and walk there or alternatively visit Watergate car park where parking is free before 9am.

She said: “I had a meeting with the Pentire Residents’ Association and the parking enforcement team about local parking issues.

“The Pentire Residents’ Association came up with a whole lot of creative ideas to make the current restrictions less draconian for the genuine early morning van driver surfers.

“But sadly, they all fall foul of providing effective enforcement. Without enforcement it won’t take long for the road to return to the free campsite that it used to be.

“So, unless someone can come up with something that works the current restriction will stay in place. The genuine early morning surfer community will have to make use of the parking at Watergate Bay council car park, which is free up until 9am.

“The problem is that when surfers want to park at Esplanade Road at 4am it includes people who want to queue jump and be there at 8.30am so they can park their vans there all day as well.

“I did suggest can we move it to 8am. You cannot have anything there unless it can be enforced and Cornwall Council did have an enforcement officer who liked going around there at 4.30am, which was ideal, but it’s been proven you should not be going around at that time on your own.

“I’m the first person to admit it that the restriction is clunky, but it works because it has stopped that street from being turned into a campsite. “There wouldn’t have been room for local surfers who drive vans to park there as the whole street would otherwise be full up with campers.

“There are spaces in Pentire where they can park and then they just have to walk a bit further.”

Cllr Steve Slade added: “The van is a very common vehicle for people in Newquay and this restriction excludes them from a whole part of Fistral Beach.”