PLANS to switch Traffic warden duties from the police to local councils will not result in job losses, union bosses have been promised.

The proposals, which could lead to a purge on rogue parking and free more police officers to fight serious crime, were given the green light by councillors in Burnley earlier this month.

Council officials in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale are in separate talks with Lancashire County Council about taking over traffic warden duties from the police.

That could mean employing their own traffic attendants, or possibly private companies to do the work for them.

But the switch will not mean wardens currently employed by the police will lose their jobs, it has been promised.

Wardens will switch jobs to either new posts in the police force such as Community Support Officers or be re-employed by the council as traffic wardens.

Mike Beeston, sector secretary for Unison at Lancashire Police, said: "We understand that nobody who wants to remain with the constabulary should find themselves out of a job.

"We have a policy of non-redundancy and we will aim to stick with that.

"Traffic wardens at the moment do a lot more than parking enforcement so we should be able to find alternative employment for all that wish to remain with us."

The change, which the authorities want to bring in as soon as possible, will make parking infringements a top priority in a bid to improve road safety and the environment. The timetable for introducing the scheme is April 2004.

The proposals were approved by Burnley Council's executive and the council will now liaise with county council highway chiefs.

Police in the county now employ around 115 wardens to enforce traffic regulations along with officers, with fines going to central government funds.

The wardens will need to be redeployed to other duties.

In 1998-99, 79,746 fixed penalty tickets were handed out to motorists across Lancashire, falling to 71,956 in 1999-2000.

Under the new system, which could include more wardens being employed, the county council would receive the money from fines which would then go into a pot from which the borough council could bid. All the money would be used for traffic-related schemes.