PARENTS who cause parking chaos outside Cleveland schools could face heavy financial penalties.

A scheme to control the problem was discussed by Redcar and Cleveland council executive on Tuesday which heard it was planned to raise the standard fine to £60 for infringements.

Assistant development director, Mr Andy Hyams, said the council was to take over yellow line enforcement from police in about a year's time, when parking would cease to be a criminal offence.

"We can target enforcement more closely, but we are not setting out on a crusade here," he said. "The main thrust is to allow parking where possible rather than the notion that the council will stick tickets where it can."

The fine at present is £40, or £30 for quick settlement. In future, a ticket would carry a minimum penalty of £30, with a £60 maximum.

"But we will not issue tickets right, left and centre," said Mr Hyams. "To deliver the current cash surplus of nearly £294,000, patrols would need to do four penalty notices for each day they work."

The surplus - the sum needed to cover maintenance costs - comes from a combination of pay and display, parking tickets and a contribution from Morrison's supermarkets.

Mr Hyams is to talk to unions and submit the full application to the government.

Coun Dave McLuckie, lead member for community safety, said the move was long overdue. Langbaurgh police had one traffic warden operating at any one time.

"We should be targeting areas outside schools where parking laws are never enforced. We need special operations to deal with these issues which are very serious. We could then eradicate some of the problems and costs of schemes to deal with this issue."

Mr Hyams said: "That is just what I am looking to do. We are looking to have a patrol from 6am to midnight, but we will target areas of hazard rather than just yellow lines."

Coun Keith Pudney raised the problem of people parking in bus bays, sometimes resulting in buses refusing to stop.

Mr Hyams said: "We can't continue to put forward a strategy for public transport if buses can't use designated stops. There is no excuse for this and I will be looking to enforce the rules."

Chief executive Mr Colin Moore wondered if the new community safety wardens could issue parking tickets if they saw something amiss, butthe council leader, Coun David Walsh, said: "I don't want community wardens to be seen as a panacea for all evils," he said. "We must be careful not to lose sight of their original purpose, which is mainly environmental."