PARKING headaches have prompted residents in Whitbourne Avenue to take action.

They say council work to regenerate Cavendish Square has cut the number of available parking spaces and some residents are now having to park illegally.

As a result they are receiving tickets from parking wardens.

Now they have handed a petition to Swindon mayor Michael Barnes (Lab, western).

Laura Mumford, 42, of Whitbourne Avenue, started the petition because her family received parking tickets.

"We went from 40 spaces to nothing because the council blocked off the spots one night," she said.

"Ever since that day we have been forced to park illegally.

"Both my son and my daughter have received tickets for parking on double yellow lines, but there are no other spaces.

"The council has yet to put in the spaces they promised and it has been more than a year.

"We only have a total of five spaces on our street.

"My family are not the only ones. We know of one man here who has received five tickets."

Coun Steve Allsop (Lab, Parks) delivered the petition to the mayor at last night's council meeting.

"I feel the people on Whitbourne Avenue are being persecuted," he said.

"It is wrong that penalty enforcement notices are being handed out when the council itself has failed to replace the lost spaces.

"It is so bad even the housing department has written to the penalty enforcement officers asking them to stop.

"The council is using enforcement as a revenue earner rather than a traffic control measure."

A Swindon Council spokeswoman said: "We assure residents it is our intention to provide additional parking as a result of the Cavendish Square development.

"We consider it to be a priority and expect to consult residents in the coming months on the location of additional parking.

"Traffic regulation orders are in place and we will not ignore requests for enforcement.

"But our parking team is fully aware of the situation and is, in the meantime, taking a more relaxed approach to parking in the area."