YELLOW lines are to be painted in city centre streets to stop unsafe parking by drivers trying to avoid paying charges.

Most streets in the centre of Durham have pay and display parking, part of a move to ease congestion and encourage public transport use.

People living in The Avenue, Hawthorn Terrace and Atherton Street area rejected the idea of parking charges in a ballot organised by Durham County Council.

The council's highways committee has now approved plans to introduce waiting and loading restrictions.

Environment and technical services director Chris Tunstall, said: "Free parking in these streets has become more attractive for those seeking to avoid parking charges.

"However, the demand for uncontrolled space has created indiscriminate, unsafe and at times obstructive parking in some streets close to the city centre."

Advertisements of the proposed order to implement the restrictions attracted six objections.

One of the objectors, Roger Cornwell, of The Avenue, said that introducing parking restrictions on both sides of the road could lead to vehicles speeding.

He said: "To paint double yellow lines isn't necessary and will only encourage traffic to go faster.

"There are problems in The Avenue further down, which they are addressing correctly but in our area it takes away parking spaces and won't address the problem.

"Parking on the street does make cars go more slowly."

He said that if people had to park away from their homes their vehicles could be at greater risk of vandalism.

Mr Tunstall said in his report to councillors that the restrictions, in some parts of The Avenue, would stop parking on both sides of the street, which resulted in vehicles being unable pass each other. He said: "The intention to introduce waiting restrictions is to permit the highway to be used by all vehicles safely.

"The lack of passing space can result in vehicles needing to reverse the length of the street."