FAREHAM council chiefs have been forced to make a public apology after one of their vans was caught parking illegally.

A resident complained that the council's vans were regularly flouting the authority's own by-laws on parking - and were getting away with it.

He reported that a van had been parked on a grass verge at The Hillway in Portchester, next to a sign that reads "No motor vehicles or cycles on mown verge".

The council has recently spent thousands of pounds erecting the signs, after taking over the formal duty of issuing parking tickets from the police.

A council spokeswoman said: "We have treated this incident with seriousness and we apologise for the driver parking on the verge.

"We have taken appropriate action to make sure all our staff are aware they cannot flout the rules."

She added that the driver had been carrying out work to a nearby property and needed to access his tools but added this was not an excuse for parking on the verge.