MOTORISTS who picked up parking fines last Sunday in Southampton have been given a reprieve under a parking amnesty by the city council.

The council has received complaints from motorists stung by the charges which were introduced last weekend - drivers said they just did not realise they had to pay on a Sunday.

Councillor Richard Williams (right), executive member for transport and environment, explained: "We don't want to be seen as a soft touch or as dragons either. People who got tickets told us they had no idea that charging had been introduced and we are taking them at their word. Instead of having to pay a fine of £30 they will be asked to pay the charge they should have paid on Sunday."

He added that Sunday parking charges were not a revenue issue and it was only fair that the reasonably small number of offenders should have their fines waived.

Tory councillor John Hannides has been critical of the charges and the Conservative group is calling for a total re-think on the policy.

"I challenge Richard Williams to follow this through. If it is not a revenue issue he should remove the parking charges for Sundays altogether. He ought to accept that imposing parking charges on a Sunday is wrong altogether and dec-lare an amnesty, full stop," he said.

Mr Williams said the charge had been imposed as part of a traffic management scheme and was necessary in view of the success of WestQuay.

"We need a policy to deal with the traffic management issues facing the city. We want people to be able to come to Southampton and enjoy their visit - that means being able to find a place to park," he said.