Pet owners who get up with the lark to walk their dogs in a country park are fuming after penalty notices were slapped on their cars.

Animal lovers Edna Cantiani and Judi Duffy had their vehicles collared by wardens because they did not realise they would still need parking tickets outside of car park opening hours.

Restauranteur Mrs Cantiani and secretary Mrs Duffy regularly take their dogs for early morning walkies at Thorndon North which is one of three Essex County Council managed parks in Brentwood.

Last year the county council took the controversial step of charging drivers to park at all eight of the authority's country parks in Essex.

The car park fees, set at £1 per hour or £2 for more than one hour, apply seven days a week from 8am until the car parks are closed by barriers.

But now the county council has issued a fresh statement insisting that the car park charges apply to ALL areas of the country parks at ALL TIMES even when the designated car parks are shut.

Mrs Cantiani, of Great Warley, and Mrs Duffy, of Brentwood, regularly leave their cars in the Thorndon North access road off The Avenue between about 6.30am and 7.30am.

Both say they saw notices clearly stating the car parks did not open until 8am and therefore assumed they would not need pay and display tickets.

They say the notice has since been amended.

Mrs Cantiani, who has a German Shepherd called Blue, and Mrs Duffy, who owns Seger, a German short-haired pointer, were shocked to find penalty notices demanding the fees when they returned to their cars.

Mrs Cantiani said: "When I complained about this I was told the charges are in force at all times. The warden giving this ticket told me the park was private and if I didn't want to pay, I shouldn't go.

"I am absolutely disgusted at being charged to take a walk in the park at 7am and in view of the Government's policy to encourage everyone to take more exercise, the county council is penalising us all from doing this, or is it targeting the motorist yet again."

Mrs Duffy said: "The notice in the car park stated categorically that the car park opens at 8am and states a 'charge is made for the use of this car park'."

The gates are always closed when I get to the woods and usually closed when I return to my car at approximately 7.30am. How can I possibly be charged for using a car park which is closed!"

An ECC spokesman said: "The signs at Thorndon Country Park clearly state that parking charges apply around the clock for the park. Those charges, are not just for the car parks, which open at 8am, but to all areas of the park."

Published Monday August 16, 2004

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