SOME motorists who have parked illegally in Newport today have had a nasty surprise waiting for them on returning to their vehicles.

It is day one of Newport City Council taking responsibility for enforcing on-street parking in the city centre and its environs - and some drivers clearly have not got the message.

The South Wales Argus has been out and about as the clampdown on illegal parking begins, and parking tickets have been issued for vehicles left on double yellow lines.

The council has taken over parking enforcement duties from Gwent Police, and its new traffic wardens - or Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE) wardens, to be precise - were spotted out and about in the city centre, armed with pens and books of tickets.

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South Wales Argus: Traffic wardens near the Civic Centre.Traffic wardens near the Civic Centre.

At around 10.30am, a small group of wardens was seen leaving Newport's central police station, on Cardiff Road.

Part of their route this morning took in the area around the Civic Centre and the rear of the railway station.

One car parked on double yellow lines in Godfrey Road had been ticketed.

South Wales Argus: A car ticketed in Newport city centre.A car ticketed in Newport city centre.

Two CPE wardens were also seen patrolling the area outside the pay-and-display car park at Newport Crown Court.

Some streets, where cars are often left parked on double yellows, were today virtually clear, suggesting many motorists had heeded news of the July 1 handover date.

But not everyone seems to have been spurred into action - there were still some streets in the city centre full of illegally-parked cars, none of which had been ticketed this morning.

South Wales Argus: Cars parked on double yellow lines in Newport city centre.Cars parked on double yellow lines in Newport city centre.

Today is the first day that drivers can be fined for parking illegally on the city's streets.

Last week, CPE wardens were seen patrolling Pillgwenlly and the Caerau Road area, sticking warning tickets on offending vehicles' windscreens.

People who received those warnings did not have to pay a fine.

But from now on, any drivers who risk parking illegally in Newport may well find themselves handed a fine of at least £50.

South Wales Argus: The parking fines being handed out by Newport council's Civil Parking Enforcement wardens.The parking fines being handed out by Newport council's Civil Parking Enforcement wardens.

Newport council has employed 12 CPE wardens to patrol the city.