Angus yellow line teams have left the local authority red faced, after painting around a parked car in a town centre street.
Contractors have embarked on a catch-up mission to reinstate faded road markings which have helped drivers enjoy a parking ticket amnesty across the district for several months.
As part of an end-of-year budget blitz which has seen roads projects undertaken throughout the county, line painting workmen were in the area of Chapel Street and Forfar town centre on Thursday to re-mark several sections in restricted zones.
Those included stretches of double and single-yellow lines, before the painters turned their attention to the historic cobbled Osnaburg Pend, which provides pedestrian access to East High Street and the heart of the town.
The short stretch is subject to a single-yellow line restriction, but it has been largely ignored for some time because of the almost complete absence of markings along much of the narrow street.
The line team managed to mark around three quarters of the Pend, but missed out a portion where one car was parked The Courier vehicle outside the town office and then stopped short of finishing the job further along the street where there were three other cars.
The local authority didn’t give an explanation for the line team’s missing link, but said it was pressing on with the behind-schedule scheme to make markings clearer right across Angus.
A council spokesman said: ”Work is still ongoing to complete this year’s lining programme. As we move into the new financial year and previously acceptable lining deteriorates through wear and tear, new programmes and contracts are being prepared.”
The spokesman added: ”The yellow linings were being laid in Chapel St and Osnaburg St; cars were parked but the linings will be finished later, as will the rest of the linings in Castle St and the two pedestrian crossings in East and West High Street.”
Last October, it emerged that the fading state of yellow and white lines throughout Angus had led to police and traffic wardens being advised not to issue tickets where motorists could easily mount a penalty charge challenge.
The council had approved a £75,000 district-wide line-painting contract last summer, but it was stalled by factors including dismal weather.