Pay and display and council car parking charges come back into force in Southport, Formby and across Sefton from today onwards (Monday May 18).
The charges at Sefton car parks and on-street pay and display areas had been suspended since March, when the coronavirus outbreak broke. The local authority also made certain car parks available for use by key workers.
Sefton Council does not operate car parks in Southport including Central 12 and Ocean Plaza.
Ocean Plaza car parks will remain free until charges come back on June 1. Central 12 has been approached for comment.
Last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that some coronavirus lockdown measures would be eased and some businesses would be allowed to reopen. These included garden centres and estate agents, although with strict social distancing measures in place.
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Pay and display and car parking charges, which have been suspended for the past few months, are now coming back into force from today.
A spokesperson for Sefton Council said: “Many Sefton Council car parks have remained open during lockdown.
“With the exception of park and ride and multi-storey car parks, all other council-run car parks will be open this week and charges will apply to these car parks and on-street parking.
“The authority however is not responsible, nor has any control over the operation of privately owned car parks.
“Civil Enforcement Officers will be following all guidance on social distancing.
“These officers are providing a vital and much needed service to ensure our borough’s incredible emergency services and NHS staff are able to freely move throughout Sefton without obstruction.
“We know the vast majority of our residents will appreciate that this is an important service and that our operatives are simply doing their job.
“However we will not tolerate any abuse, either verbal, written or physical, towards officers who are simply carrying out their day to day duties.
“Moreover, we would not expect significant numbers using these car parks as the vast majority of our residents should be staying at home, in alignment with the national guidance.”
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