The district council has denied reports that traffic wardens have individually taken nine weeks off sick last year.

A graph supplied by Dover District Council (DDC) shows that in the tax year 2013/14 some 13 members of staff pulled 594 ‘sickies’.

But reports in another newspaper suggested parking attendants took nine weeks a year, averaging out the figure.

The authority assured the Mercury that the statistics were taken out of context, and that two staff members went on long term sick leave, not all of the 13 employees.

A spokesman for DDC said: “Civil enforcement officers employed by DDC did not each take more than nine weeks a year off sick as claimed in some media reports. A simple extrapolation of data from an FOI request fails to provide the context against which to judge the figures.

“For the record, the majority of the absences were attributable to long term sick leave taken by two members of staff.

“For the record, the majority of the absences were attributable to long term sick leave taken by two members of staff." - DDC

“While we are unable to divulge personal details, these absences were in line with our absence management policy, and fully certificated by doctors.

“In addition, our officers patrol seven days a week, not five days, on which these media reports appear to have been based.

“We have maintained regular patrols outside schools to deter and enforce parking regulations where they apply.”