POLICE are warning drivers not to outstay their welcome by ignoring parking rules in a town centre.

Officers in Northallerton are launching a crackdown on people parking for too long in the High Street.

The town has a time-disc system where cars can park for a maximum of two hours, but police say many people are parking for hours on end, which stops traffic from flowing freely and could be putting off visitors.

Next Tuesday, police begin an enforcement campaign to make sure that drivers flouting the rules are caught out.

Double yellow lines and many of the parking bays have also been repainted by North Yorkshire County Council.

Community safety officer, Sgt Matt France said: "Those specific bays are there so there is a free flow of traffic on the High Street and so shoppers can park.

"We want to try to stop some of the people who put clocks in the cars and then come back after two hours and change the time on the clock to give them a few extra hours.

"Throughout the summer period we will be stepping up the enforcement and we have got extra resources dedicated from next Tuesday onwards.

"The main aim is to improve the through-put of vehicles. Two hours is sufficient for a shopping spree in Northallerton.

"Hambleton is one of the very few areas to have free on-street parking and we will be encouraging people to respect the two hour limit and free up parking spaces. The other problem is that if people park on the High Street for four or five hours and then don't get a ticket, they will do it again and again. This is what we want to put a stop to."

Proposals are currently being examined to create a time limit on parking spaces at the north end of the High Street from the police station to Somerfield.