FOOTBALL fans flouting parking restrictions will be ticketed, police have warned.Town fans have called The Evening Star complaining that traffic wardens have visited their favourite parking spots.

FOOTBALL fans flouting parking restrictions will be ticketed, police have warned.

Town fans have called The Evening Star complaining that traffic wardens have visited their favourite parking spots.

But a police spokeswoman said they should count themselves lucky they have never come back to an unwelcome surprise in the past.

Parking is at a premium around Portman Road on match days as thousands of optimistic town fans cram into the stadium.

And many of them try and prise their car into a space not much bigger than their stadium seat.

But the police spokeswoman warned illegal parkers would continue to be targeted on match days, despite the paucity of parking provision.

She also had a nasty surprise for many of the more creative car drivers – keeping your vehicle off the road does not avoid parking restrictions.

Double yellow lines apply as much to verges and pavements as they do to the actual carriageway.

Senior Traffic Warden Carol Grimsey said regular patrols around Portman Road would go on throughout the season.

She promised unheralded spot checks could well swoop on parking spots that seemed safe in the past.

And she warned that anyone caught out will be paying out for another ticket on top of the one that got them into Portman Road.

She said: "Any cars that are seen to be parked illegally will be ticketed.

"When there are double yellow lines it includes the carriageway, the verge and the pavement.

"There will be regular patrols carried out by traffic wardens on match days and where people are parked illegally they will be issued with a fixed penalty fine."