POLICE have been criticised for a lack of seasonal spirit after ticketing cars parked at a Christmas Eve market.

A number of shoppers in Barnard Castle, County Durham, were shocked to discover five cars parked illegally in the town's market place had been issued with tickets.

For many years the town has not had a traffic warden and people have grown used to parking illegally.

Some residents felt that to start clamping down on offenders on Christmas Eve was poor timing, especially as further along the road the local council had opened its pay and display car park for free as a goodwill gesture.

One bemused resident said: "People have been saying we need a traffic warden for years and they suddenly start issuing tickets now. Where's their Christmas spirit? Even Teesdale District Council aren't charging for their car park.

"This sums up the attitude of the police to local residents."

However, Sergeant Clare Hargreaves, of Barnard Castle police, said there had been no specific operation to issue tickets, and the police had been responding to complaints from stallholders.

She said: "The town's been really busy and people have just been parking wherever they want. There have even been people parking on the zig-zag lines at zebra crossings.

"A number of cars were obstructing the marketplace. These people aren't just causing an obstruction, they're also causing a danger to pedestrians."