MORE than 200 fines have been handed out to problem parkers in just four areas of Barnsley over the latest five-month period, a new report has revealed.

At today’s South Area Council meeting, members will discuss an update on the council’s parking services from October to February.

The report shows that during that period, a huge 216 penalty charge notices (PCNs) were handed out to the public by officers.

It added that the parking wardens made almost 1,200 observations of problems parkers around schools but rather than issuing a fine they move vehicles on to ensure the highway is free.

Council bosses say that if you don’t park legally and safely, a parking fine or PCN can be applied to the vehicle or given to you in person by a parking services civil enforcement officer.

The fine could be £50 or £70, depending on the severity of the contravention.

The report shows that wardens have visited 78 schools during the time period and have spent 446 hours patrolling the streets to report any issues.

Wombwell is a hotspot for poor parking according to the data.

A total of 34 schools were visited in the five-month period with 207 hours almost half of the entire scheme spent patrolling the area.

While 146 fines were handed out to those in the area equating to 67.5 per cent of all notices issued.

Councillors James Higginbottom, Brenda Eastwood and Robert Frost, who represent the Wombwell ward, told the Chronicle: “Illegal, obstructive and dangerous parking is an issue that is frequently raised with us by local residents, especially around Wombwell town centre and at local schools.

“Working through the South Area Council, we are proud to have secured additional parking enforcement hours across the patch, which the results are clearly showing to be making a difference in Wombwell.

“There is always more to do, so if there are particular locations of concern, we urge residents to let us know so that resources can be targeted at hotspot locations.

“This includes dedicated patrol hours around local primary schools to ensure that vehicles are parking safely and legally and improving safety for families on the school run.”

Thirty fines were handed out in the Hoyland Milton ward, 21 in Rockingham and 19 in Darfield.

The report states that Coun Kevin Osborne, who represents the Darfield ward, was impressed with the engagement by officers after attending during a meet-up outside Upperwood Academy.

However, it’s not all been positive for the wardens who were reportedly attacked by kids in Hoyland.

The report said: “There was negative interaction at Kirk Balk where the pupils through it was okay to throw a full vape bottle at us on more than one occasion.

“It was reported to staff at the school and the headteacher is aware and is going to bring this up at a school assembly.

“As you can imagine this was not nice for our members of staff.

“We are looking in to a joint approach with the Police Community Safety Officer (PCSO).”