COUNCIL bosses have been slammed after encircling a free car park' motorists have been using for years with double yellow lines - and fining those inside them.

More than 20 drivers are to appeal against tickets they were given for parking in an area of land off Canterbury Street in Blackburn town centre.

And a driving group has questioned the legality of the tickets as it said there were no clear signs or markings to demonstrate a change in the area's historical use.

The drivers, some of whom were attending a weekly auction at nearby Frank Charles & Co, were fined minutes after the event started at 10.30am.

They say double yellow lines recently painted around the area of land do not clearly show that it is a no-parking area as they could be warning people not to park around the perimeter.

The lines surround the car park', which has white lines that appear to mark out parking bays', but there is a gap which drivers claim depicts an entrance.

But Blackburn with Darwen Council bosses said the area should never have been used as a car park as it is an adopted highway separating two roads and not waste land.

It says the parking bays' are the remainders of what used to be hatched markings and that the double yellow lines were recently painted to "clarify" the no parking situation to drivers.

But one angry driver, Gordon Whitehead, of Blackburn said: "We have parked here for years and the council know it.

"This is nothing more than a money making scheme.

"They should have put signs up or made it more clear."

Another driver, William Stott, of Clayton-le-Moors said: "We have been parking here for years. I am not prepared to pay this fine.

"We are all outraged about this.

"It is not clear at all and they should not be able to enforce this."

Mark McArthur-Christie, director of policy for the Association of British Drivers said there were no clear makings or signs to illustrate the change.

He added: "I hope these people can have their tickets over turned. It is not fair to ticket when the restrictions are not clear.

"I can see no danger of cars parking here and therefore there is no reason the decision cannot be reversed using a bit of basic humanity."

Michael Smith, a partner in Frank Charles & Co, slammed the council's handling of the parking situation.

He said: "The trouble is there is so little free parking in the town already.

"There's a car park down the road which costs £7 or £8 a day and is never used.

"If the council looked at that issue then maybe they'd have a bigger uptake and take some of the pressure off the back streets."

Coun Andy Kay, executive member for regeneration for the council said: "This area has always been adopted highway and not waste land.

"Cars have, however, always been left there.

"The new yellow lines were introduced during the recent works in order to clarify the status of the area for drivers."

The council confirmed the yellow lines had not been completed due to bad weather and would be finished to create a full circle around the area to clear up any confusion.