TRAFFIC wardens will continue to work and give out tickets in the city during the third national Covid lockdown, it has been revealed.

Parking enforcement officers will roam the streets to "ensure essential services can be accessed" by the most vulnerable.

It comes as just hours after a major incident was declared in Sussex over fears the mutant strain will overwhelm services.

The Argus made the inquiry after a reader said traffic wardens were "charging key workers" during the lockdown.

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Under lockdown rules, residents must only make essential journies for food and exercise, and are encouraged to work from home unless it is "unreasonable".

A council spokesman said: “In line with safety guidelines for council workers, our parking enforcement officers will continue to work during the current lockdown period.

“We must ensure essential services and supplies can be accessed by the most vulnerable and those most in need of our support during this difficult time.

“Dangerous and unsociable parking poses a danger to public safety and can obstruct emergency service and refuse vehicle access.”

In October, it was revealed that wardens issued more than 80 NHS workers with parking tickets during a crackdown on doctors and nurses leaving their cars in residents' bays near the hospital where they work.

The move followed a week of warnings, with an average of 68 notices left each day before wardens started issuing fines.