Parking wardens refused to go to work this weekend because the panic buttons on their radios stopped working.

Brighton and Hove’s “civil enforcement officers” did not walk the streets at all on Saturday and only began venturing back out in pairs or threes on Sunday afternoon.

They said problems with their radio sets put their health and safety at risk because they could not raise the alarm if they were assaulted.

About 60 NSL workers remained in their depots in Brighton and Hove on Saturday.

Manual workers’ union GMB claimed they stayed in after advice from union reps but NSL said the company itself had stopped patrols after staff raised concerns about safety.

Problems with the devices had started on Thursday when interference began to block the radio signals.

The sets communicate directly with the NSL offices, meaning if the wardens are assaulted they can raise the alarm simply by pressing a button.

The problem continued until yesterday afternoon, when about half the staff returned to work carrying “push to talk” mobile phones.

The company said it hoped to restore the radio network by lunchtime today.

*For full story, see The Argus today.