A fed-up Borehamwood resident spoke of her frustration this week after receiving five parking tickets in four weeks for parking outside her own house.

Rita Church, 51, of Lexington Close has a yellow line right outside her home, in a residential road, and has no drive to park her car in.

She has parked outside for the 22 years she has lived there, but started getting penalised in January when Hertsmere Borough Council took over parking responsibilities from the police. There are residents' parking bays across the road, and Ms Church holds a parking permit, but she says there is not enough room for all the residents to park.

"It's bureaucracy gone bonkers," she said."I can't even park outside my own house it's a joke. No-one seems to be helping me."

The council said that, due to the width of the road, it is not possible to have parking bays on both sides of the road, and that the particular part of the street where Ms Church lives is a turning point.

The authority also said that the yellow line is only enforced from 2pm to 3pm, Monday to Friday.

Ms Church added: "You still can't leave your car there all day. I work all the way up in central London. Am I supposed to trek back at lunch to move my car?

"Each ticket will cost me £30. There's no way I'm going to fork out £150 for the privilege of parking outside my own house, where I have done for the last 22 years."

A council spokesperson said: "Ms Church has been advised of the restrictions by both letter and telephone. The parking restrictions have been in place since January 1999 and since the decriminalisation of parking, the council has taken enforcement seriously and will continue to do so."