Parking restrictions in Tenby’s St. Mary’s Street are causing problems for carers looking after a virtually housebound former Mayoress of the town.

Since Christmas, 88-year-old Mrs. Kath Mace has been having carers visit her twice a day.

Explained Mrs. Mace’s daughter Beverley: “My sister, Karen, is mum’s main carer, and does her shopping and visits her most days. There is, however, a problem: the severe parking restrictions in St. Mary’s Street, which is within the town walls.

“No parking is allowed in the street at any time and mum has been refused a parking permit that would allow parking within the immediate area.

“It is infuriating that parking permits have been given to owners of holiday flats in the street and The Paragon.

“The carers and my sister have all received parking tickets when visiting my mum, and to avoid this, must find a parking space elsewhere.

“The carers only have a limited slot with my mum, but some of this valuable time is taken up with finding a parking space and then having to walk from there to the house.

“If mum needs to attend the hospital or go to the doctor, my sister is afraid to park in the street for even five minutes for fear of getting a ticket.

“It can take 20 minutes or more to get my mum out of the house and into the car, because of her limited mobility. All of this is bad enough in the winter, but is an absolute nightmare in the summer.

“Mum has a blue badge, but we cannot use it as the street is too narrow to allow other vehicles to pass whilst the car is parked. We are not allowed to park on the pavements anymore and if we do we get a ticket.

“I don’t see why the council and traffic wardens can’t allow the carers 45 minutes ‘grace,’ giving them enough time to attend to my mum.

“But since neither the traffic wardens nor the council are interested in helping in what has become an intolerable situation, I am turning to the Tenby Observer to help raise awareness of this worsening state of affairs.

“My father, Alan Mace, was a County Councillor, a town councillor, and Mayor of Tenby, twice, and his widowed wife can’t even get parking for her carers. My mum gets very worked up and worried about this, which upsets me greatly.”

Said Mrs. Mace: “It really does make life very difficult. My husband put an awful lot of time and effort into working for the town. It makes you wish as if you didn’t live in Tenby at all.

“All we want is for the carers to be allowed to park outside whilst they are here with me. I surely am not the only resident within the town walls that has carers. It is just a shame there is no leeway.”