MORE THAN 700 parking tickets have been handed out in Caerphilly within a month of the council taking over civil parking enforcement - but none have been issued in Monmouthshire.

Enforcement officers capable of issuing fines have been in place in both authorities since the council took over responsibilities from Gwent Police on April 8.

Unlawful parking is said to be reducing in Caerphilly’s town centres and outside school gates at peak hours, according to the council.

But Monmouthshire council has yet to issue a single ticket, instead opting to leave "polite notices" to with those found to be inconsiderately parked.

Roger Hoggins, head of operations, said it would take time for residents to adjust to the council having the power to issue fines for illegal parking.

"It has been considered necessary to extend the polite notice period to better manage the expectations of our residents and offer a fully transparent service," he added.

A similar approach had been taken by Caerphilly council, with officers handing out fake parking tickets warning motorists prior to the civil parking enforcement handover last month.

But fines have been issued ever since the scheme was formally introduced in the borough, with members of the public inundating officers with calls to enforce hotspots.

Deputy council leader Sean Morgan said: "It is encouraging that we are already seeing improvements across the area with noticeable differences in our busy town centres, which is good news for shoppers and retailers alike.

"Inconsiderate parking can cause obstructions, reduce traffic flow and cause road safety concerns as well as affecting business if loading bays and other restricted spaces are obstructed."

Motorists face fines of up to £70 for the most serious offences, and £50 or £25 for lesser parking breaches.

All income received from fines will fund the enforcement service, with any extra money set aside for reinvestment into the borough’s road network.

A Caerphilly council spokesman said it was difficult to put a figure on the total income from fines for the first month as maximum fines can be reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days.

Officers are not expected to be hitting any targets for the number of tickets issued or money recouped from fines, says Councillor Morgan.

He added, "Our priority is to make the streets of the county borough safer for motorists and pedestrians."

Civil parking enforcement powers will be transferred to Blaenau Gwent council on June 30 and Newport and Torfaen councils on July 1.

Meanwhile, Monmouthshire County Council recently issued a debunk of what it claimed were common parking myths, saying hat ontrary to popular opinion, MCC civil enforcement officers do not received bonuses for issuing ticketsâ??they are paid a salary.

It also stated that double-yellow lines with two kerb ticks mean a driver cannot wait at any time. However, they are permitted to stop or to let passengers leave their vehicle.

Blue badge holders are not allowed to park in a loading bay or close to a junction and if parked in a loading bay, the driver has to be actively loading.

If you have to put items away, you must move your vehicle to a legal parking space.

Another debunked myth stated that drivers can be issued with a penalty charge notice at night, on Sundays and on bank holidays.

Whilst blue badge users can park for up to three hours on a single or double yellow line where there are no kerb ticks in operation a parking clock with the correct time of arrival must be displayed.

MCC also said that drivers cannot park illegally to talk on the phone, go to the toilet, pop to the bank or buy lunch.

The information sheet stated, "Our civil enforcement officers record all vehicle registrations when checking a time-limited parking area.

"They will only issue a fine if your vehicle breaches the time restrictions.

"No new restrictions were put in place when we took over civil parking enforcement from the police."