SOLICITOR Denise Broomfield refused to pay a parking fine to Swindon Council because she said the authority was doing nothing about a group of homeless men who have taken up residence in one of its car parks.

And following her complaint, the council's parking administration department has admitted there are problems and agreed to cancel the ticket.

Mrs Broomfield says she has been subjected to months of abuse from homeless people living in The Parade car park off Fleet Street.

The 39 year-old, who lives in Warminster but commutes to Swindon every day to work at SJ Edney solicitors in Fleming Way, said: "In the past few months I have had to put up with a lot of menacing behaviour from these vagrants.

"This includes being asked for change when I take out my purse to put money in the meter, or just being stared at menacingly.

"I have felt uncomfortable on several occasions. I'm not that nervous because I used to live in big cities like Bristol, but there were times when I knew I was being watched.

"I believe the council has breached its statutory duty to provide a safe place for the public to park.

"The charges are extremely high and should be sufficient to make the car park safe for its users."

Homeless man Paul Bendon, 38, says the people who stay in the car park do not want to upset anyone and are just looking for a place to live.

He said: "We don't want to be homeless and we certainly don't want to live in a car park we wish the council would do more for us.

"People are often a bit worried by our presence but there are a lot of good people out there who will give us a few pounds to mind their car, and we do what they say and keep an eye on it, but I won't ask people for money.

"Yes, we have a bottle of cider between us and have a drink but we don't get too drunk and I'm not disrespectful towards anyone.

"If any of the others are I'll make sure they stop."

Parking manager Tony Foss explained his staff had attempted to move people on from the car park for a considerable period of time.

He said: "The police have been called to give assistance on several occasions, however, they are not always able to respond if they have other commitments.

"It is a fact that moving them on from one car park means they just turn up in another.

"I can reassure our customers that no one has been threatened by these people. The car parks in the town centre are regularly patrolled and still very safe to use."