COPS are cracking down on Macclesfield parents who ‘flout the rules’ and park illegally near the school gates.

Mums and dads now face a £70 fine if they park on a double yellow, or £30 if they block part of the road.

Council bosses said they have ‘no option’ but to hit parents with financial penalties, after warnings have been ignored.

The scheme will focus on the Upton Priory estate, where cops said illegal parking is causing a danger to children and motorists, and will stop ambulances getting to an emergency on time.

PCSOs and town hall enforcement officers are targeting Fallibroome High School, St Albans Junior School and Upton Priory Junior School in a bid to improve parent behaviour.

Councillor Brian Silvester, deputy leader of Cheshire East Council, said: "We have no option but to come down hard on those who do flout the rules with fines, so that we can create a safer environment for school children."

PCSO Gary Barnes said: "Some parents seem to arrive to pick up their children nearly an hour before the end of the school day. They park up and sit and read a newspaper. It ends up with vehicles double-parked on narrow roads. Emergency vehicles have to squeeze through, and it is a very tight fit. It is only a matter of time before an ambulance or fire crew is delayed because they simply can’t make it. At Fallibroome High School some of the cars park on double yellow lines and on the approach to a traffic island. They create a real danger; especially to their own children when they come out of school."

Police and PCSOs can issue £30 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) to drivers who cause an obstruction and council officers can impose £70 fines for those on double yellow lines.