CCTV cameras in Portishead town centre could be used to capture people parking their cars illegally along the High Street.
Councillors in the town are asking for a meeting with North Somerset Council and police chiefs to see whether the six cameras in the town could be monitored to catch people parking indiscriminately in the town centre.
The move follows increasing concern about the level of illegal parking along the High Street.
Motorists are continuing to flout traffic regulations by parking on yellow lines and on the zig-zag markings by the pedestrian crossing near the post office.
Portishead Town Council pays £10,500 a year to North Somerset Council towards the costs of monitoring the cameras at the control room at Weston Town Hall.
There are 73 cameras across North Somerset all of which feed into the control centre, which is monitored 24 hours a day.
Councillors say the cameras could be run in the similar way to Speedwatch where pictures could be collected giving details of offending cars. Those caught on camera could then be written to and if caught reoffending, could be prosecuted.
Portishead councillor David Pasley said the issue with illegal parking in the High Street was making the area dangerous for motorists and pedestrians. Mr Pasley said: "Illegal parking in the High Street continues to be a problem. People park on the double yellow lines and on the zig zags either side of the crossing.
"This is particularly dangerous because these parked cars mean that motorists cannot see pedestrians on the crossing and visa versa. The town council currently spends £10,500 a year on monitoring these cameras and in the past has invested heavily to improve the system. We are looking if we can utilise the current technology and monitoring to allow us to keep a specific watch on parking issues in the High Street as a way of combating the problem.
"The police have limited resources and it is unrealistic to think that an officer will be on duty on the High Street at all times to enforce the current regulations.
"We have the cameras in place and it seems sensible to look at whether they can be used more effectively to help with the enforcement of parking in the town centre."
New traffic regulations and signage warning people of the no parking rules were introduced along the High Street last year following a £190,000 highways improvement scheme. A 20mph limit was also introduced along the High Street after the Cabstand traffic lights were switched off.
Portishead has not had a dedicated traffic warden for five years and the enforcement of parking is currently the responsibility of the police.
Officers regularly patrol the High Street and issue tickets to people found parking on the double yellow lines or the zig zags.
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