RULE-BREAKING drivers in Amersham and Chesham are living on borrowed time as Chiltern District Council prepares to receive new powers to slap fines on motorists who flout parking restrictions.

The council is now in the process of recruiting a team of parking attendants who will patrol 47 miles of yellow lines up and down the district, as part of the Special Parking Area (SPA) scheme.

Paul Newman, engineer responsible for the SPA, said: "For some time we have had information and comments from the public expressing considerable concern about the lack of enforcement of road regulations and we have reacted to that level of concern."

This major clampdown is expected to start on September 1 after the original date in May was postponed due to the election.

Although the law itself has not been passed yet, the council has received strong assurances from the Government that it will go through in time for the September start.

The move follows complaints from angry residents who have long complained about motorists who park on the pavement and on yellow lines.

Chesham and Amersham's only traffic warden resigned last year leaving car drivers free to park where they like and for how long they like.

The council decided to introduce the scheme after police said that parking enforcement was not a priority.

Chesham county councillor Steven Adams believes the attendants should target specific problem areas such as Bellingdon Road, Chesham, which he feels are becoming increasingly dangerous.

He said: "In Chesham the situation has gone unpoliced for some time. If they know where laws are being flouted they can have a real impact.

"People are beginning to despair so we are asking them to hang on."

The council has strongly denied that it will make any money from the scheme and says that parking attendants will not be receiving commission on tickets they issue.

However it is considering the introduction of on-street parking charges to help finance the scheme.

A spokesman for the council said: "The aim is to keep Chiltern's roads moving and make them safer for everyone."