On-street parking enforcement patrols have been temporarily relaxed in Sidmouth by Devon County Council.

In order to help residents parking outside their homes while working from home or self-isolating during the Coronavirus outbreak, the county council's parking enforcement teams will reduce enforcement on certain roads – although double yellow lines will still be enforced.

Changes to routine patrols will enable officers to concentrate their efforts on keeping key routes running normally.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highway Management, said: "We must keep the network moving but we also recognise the concerns in residential areas where people are needing to park at home more often due to the need for social distancing and home working.

"We're facing exceptional challenges presented by the Coronavirus and we all need to play a role in responding to that. Our parking teams are adapting and re-focusing their efforts to help our communities through this challenge."

As a minimum, the County Council's parking teams will seek to maintain free flow of traffic by managing parking on:

• All A and B roads;
• The main access route to settlements with a population of 500 or more;
• Emergency premises – main access routes to 24 hour emergency services premises, including ambulance stations, full time and retained fire stations, hospitals with 24 hour casualty departments and police stations manned 24 hours;
• Cottage and Community Hospitals – main access routes to strategic cottage and community hospitals as notified by Devon Primary Care Trust;
• Doctors surgeries and other public buildings – main access routes to strategic doctor's surgeries and other public buildings as notified by Devon Primary Care Trust;
• Bus routes – no waiting restrictions on bus routes will be maintained so long as services continue;
• Supermarkets and food distribution centres – all parking restrictions of access routes to supermarkets and food distribution centres (including loading bays, limited waiting, and pay and display) will be managed;
• Locations identified as needing enforcement to permit refuse collection.

In order to focus resources to these strategically important locations, the service will be downscaled with enforcement removed from:

• Peripheral areas – including coastal and tourist destinations (except where identified as being on a strategic route or location);
• Residential areas – including residents parking bays (except restrictions in these areas, such as yellow lines and where a residential area is identified as being on a strategic route);
• Central commercial areas – including limited waiting and pay and display (except where identified as being on a strategic route or location).

Civil enforcement officers will also be working their beats from vehicles rather than walking in order to assist with social distancing.