The parking tickets row continued this week with the revelations that Enniskillen is No.5 in the league of the most parking tickets issued in 2013 in Northern Ireland, despite the fact that its relatively small population is well below the numbers of the towns and cities that appeared above it, such as Belfast, Derry and Lisburn.

Last year, it was revealed that 5,271 tickets were issued by parking attendants based on a population of 13,500. However Belfast’s parking tickets of 27,547 or five times that of Enniskillen is against a population of 286,000 or 20 times that of Enniskillen!

Even Lisburn’s 6,372 is marginally above Enniskillen yet they have a population of 71,400.

The figures will not give much solace to the business community of Enniskillen who have been complaining for years that the busy parking attendants in the town had been partly to blame for poor trading figures.

Enniskillen has a thoroughfare unique to provincial towns with one long main street which allows vehicles to park outside businesses, governed by free parking one hour in two. The large number of pay and display car parks a short distance from the shops are well used but it appears that motorists are falling foul of the regulations by overstaying their time or not adhering to parking regulations.

There are vacant premises in the town centre but the issuing of parking tickets cannot be totally blamed for these. There are tough trading times for businesses with rent and rates still causing major concerns for tenants. The economic climate has not returned to pre-recession times.

However the large number of tickets issued does not help to promote the island town as a shopping destination.

The penalty charges for those unfortunate to receive parking tickets are £90 or £45 if paid within 14 days and should be used to help repair potholes, maintain street lights or alleviate congested roads, according to the Roads Minister, Danny Kennedy but that argument is hardly convincing to local councillors or members of the business community who do not see any positive reason for the issuing of the high number of tickets.