REGARDING your article ‘Trader’s parking ticket outrage’, August 27.

 Now we have it from the horse’s mouth!

Tavistock traders and workers are taking advantage of the £2 all day parking. I have made several contacts with West Devon Borough Council about this, but have been assured that when this scheme was being mooted traders/employees responded to a questionnaire by saying ‘If I can park for free now, why would I pay £2 a day?’

To get a space in the short term Abbey car park you have to be there by 9.45am, after that you are lucky to find a space.

The Bedford car park is a nightmare after about 10.30am as the last few spaces have been taken by lucky visitors. On two occasions in the last week I have attempted to take my grandchildren swimming (the Wharf car park being full) — so I joined the circling pack of drivers trying to find a space. After 20 minutes of this I gave up, much to the disappointment of the grandchildren.

I have walked round Abbey car park in the afternoon, and almost all the tickets on the cars are times before 9.45am  with similar results from the Bedford Car Park.

This £2 all day scheme must be scrapped.

What we have now is car parks which cannot be used by visitors and shoppers, but full of cars parked up all day by the workers and traders of Tavistock. How many visitors have given up on Tavistock and gone elsewhere? Abbey car park should be returned to short term maximum stay three hours, Bedford Car park maximum four hours and the Riverside car park perhaps £2 all day but only after 10.30am – that may leave room for the shoppers and visitors that the town so desperately needs.

Jill White

Whitchurch