TRAVELLERS should be slapped with fines for staying on car parks without paying, according to Worcester MP Mike Foster.

He has called for a hardline approach to dealing with travellers stopping off in Worcester.

As the Worcester News previously reported, travellers recently camped on the car park of the Shrub Hill Retail Park for five days before they decided to leave.

And in August a group of travellers decided to stay on Croft Road car park for a week, leaving behind 50 bags of rubbish.

Mr Foster thinks handing out parking tickets would put travellers off doing it again in the Faithful City.

He said: "It's about time we stopped the free loading. Why should shoppers who park for 91 minutes in a space be liable to pay a £50 parking ticket, but a traveller who stays for five days gets away with paying nothing?

"It is wrong and those who manage these car parks locally need to totally change their attitude.

"Travellers leave behind a mess, which we, as local taxpayers, have to pay to clean up. They leave behind potential health hazards, which we again have to pay to make safe.

"It should be simple enough - send a message to those who camp on car parks, private or council owned, you will get a fine if you don't move on."

He said he was confident travellers would avoid the risk of court appearances by paying up any fines handed to them.

Worcester City Council has preferred not to hand out parking fines to travellers in the past - and declined to reveal whether or not it would be changing its policy.

Coun Martin Clarke, cabinet member for urban renaissance, said: "The decision making on something like this will take place after the local elections, so I'd prefer not to comment on what Mike Foster has said."