Fewer than ten motorists have been fined for pavement parking since a road in Farnham town centre was turned into a single lane.

Surrey County Council has confirmed that civil enforcement officers have handed out seven tickets in 422 visits to East Street since its summer 2024 revamp.

The sight of vehicles parked on the pavement and bay close to the northern passage to Brightwells Yard and the former Slug & Lettuce has become a common one since the barriers were lifted on the new-look road.

Part of the pavement on the south side has been lowered and widened to create a bigger public space, possibly amid an expected increase in footfall.

Motorists who park on the pavement or the bay do so at their own risk as the presence of double yellow lines means they are liable for a fine if caught, but it seems that most have been quite savvy.

“Our enforcement team has visited East Street 422 times since August, which is nearly three times per day, and have issued seven Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) in that time,” said a spokesperson for the council.

“While the team has seen vehicles parked on the pavements, the drivers are usually close by and often move off before a PCN can be issued.”

The spokesperson added: “However, planters have now been installed to prevent vehicles parking on the widest part of the pavement.”

The narrowing of the road has been controversial as a pedestrian recently witnessed a police car and ambulance struggle to pass a queue of vehicles with an illegally parked car on the northern side of the crossing restricting access further.

Future plans for the northern side of East Street remain undecided as Homes England recently put the Woolmead site up for sale with a January 9 deadline for bids.