DORSET'S Police and Crime Commissioner has pledged to tackle the growing traffic and parking chaos in Lyme Regis.

Martyn Underhill is working with Lyme Regis police officers and local councils to find a solution to the problem, which has escalated in recent weeks as the tourist season starts.

But Mr Underhill has told residents to be 'realistic' and warned there is no quick solution, especially as 275 spaces and coach parking have been lost at Charmouth Road car park during the stabilisation works.

The commissioner was talking during his community forum at the Woodmead Halls on Friday.

He said: “Parking and congestion aren't strictly police issues but it is very important to remember that I'm the police and crime commissioner, I'm here to make sure people feel safe in their communities.

“My job is to work with the council and other agencies to try and remove these blockages.

“We have to be realistic - this is an old, historic town with narrow roads and you can't start knocking buildings down to make clearer roads.

“We are in a shrinking environment. The facilities to enforce parking across Dorset are reducing daily and so I can't promise the world to resolve Lyme.

“There are a culmination of factors that are causing a lot of pain for local residents, I get that, and it's not going to go away quickly.”

Mr Underhill stressed that parking is enforced by Dorset County Council and police can only act if someone is causing an obstruction or danger.

He believes the county council's mobile CCTV unit would help to deter drivers.

“I will be taking this to Dorset County Council to see what they are doing to enforce this dangerous parking in Lyme Regis,” he said.

“A quick fix would be CCTV and very quickly word gets around.

“The only way of dealing with parking in Lyme - other than accepting you have historic buildings you can't change and we wouldn't want to stop tourists coming - is a multi-agency approach.”

Dorset County Council said its uses CCTV in two ways.

A spokesman said: “The uniformed civil enforcement officers use CCTV for personal protection against verbal and physical abuse. These are fixed units in legally agreed locations.

“Also, mobile CCTV that is used at fixed sites to detect congestion and amend traffic signal timings.

“The mobile CCTV is already deployed in areas where we have traffic problems.

“These cameras would do little to ease the issue in Lyme Regis in the summer.

“We do not use CCTV to issue on-street penalty charges.”

Mr Underhill said he was also aware of HGVs regularly hitting buildings and would take this up with the county council.

Lyme's county councillor Daryl Turner raised several traffic issues with Mr Underhill, who said he would ask the traffic police to look at the HGV issue.

Coun Turner said: “I've also got a few ideas about radical changes to the routes around town but need to work on these with highways.”

Other issues

LANDSLIPS, PCSOs and Neighbourhood Watch were among the other local issues that the commissioner aims to tackle.

Other than traffic, Mr Underhill said landslips are the most common issue the community raises with him.

He said: “Nature is nature but we need to make sure we have got plans in place to cope with that in the future.

“All I can do as PCC is make sure the police and other agencies have plans in place if there's another cliff collapse. “The biggest issue is the public ignoring the safety warnings.”

Mr Underhill said he realised how important the PCSOs are and intends to have a town centre base where they could operate.

He said: “They are at the top of the town, it's a perfect location with the fire service, but I'm very keen on exploring a Safer Neighbourhood Team footprint in the town centre.

“To be clear, I don't want to shut the station, I want to add to it.”

The commissioner said he has had repeated requests for PCSOs to work on Sundays and bank holidays in Lyme during the summer.

He said: “I'm not going to sit here and promise you I'm going to give you Sunday PCSOs because I can't. “It's not just about money. They have a shift pattern, they have a contract.”

But Mr Underhill said he would look into the level of cover for the summer, and would also investigate whether a Special Constable could be deployed in Lyme.

He added that he would like to see more Neighbourhood Watch schemes set up in the area.