Parking attendants are never going to be the most popular people in Brighton and Hove because of the job they have to do.

But the amount of abuse and the number of assaults that are happening in the city is utterly unacceptable.

Yesterday scaffolder Andrew Berwick from Moulsecoomb admitted assaulting a traffic warden who was about to ticket his BMW.

Magistrates heard he threatened the attendant, threw him into a hedge and then chucked away his parking computer.

The court will decide what sentence to impose on Berwick after a separate hearing into whether there was any provocation.

If there was not, they should impose a tough sentence as a warning to him and other errant motorists.

Of course it's aggravating for people who park in the wrong place to find attendants looming up and writing out tickets.

NCP, which employs the attendants, and the city council, which runs the scheme, are trying to prevent illegal and dangerous parking.

These attendants have the difficult job of trying to stop it.

In Brighton many drivers have been able to get away with parking on double-yellow lines for far too long.

Drivers who are caught should try to control their anger. Better still, they should ensure they park legally in the first place.