Wairarapa's top cop has confirmed police are investigating the unregistered vehicles being parked along Queen St and Dixon St by a Masterton car dealership.
Auto Imports and Wholesale has been under fire from its neighbouring businesses and residents for using the street as a storage depot for its unlicensed and unwarranted imported vehicles.
Several Queen St retail stores said the car dealership would often take up all the unlimited parking spaces on the western side of Queen St from UCOL to The Warehouse during business hours.
The dispute widened when Dixon St residents came forward saying the company's "careless" parking was also a problem on their street, with vehicles sometimes blocking driveways.
One UCOL student expressed their frustrations on the matter via Facebook, saying "as a student of UCOL [it] frustrates the s*** out of us as we have no parking and it makes us late for course".
Yesterday, area commander Inspector Donna Howard said police were working with the Masterton District Council and making inquiries.
Acting Traffic Sergeant Shayne Nolan said it was an offence to have an unregistered, unwarranted vehicle parked on a public street, with each offence incurring a $200 fine.
He said he had been monitoring the situation and had "relayed the problem" to Lawson Hoggard, owner of the dealership, and had "informed him of the penalties" but had not yet issued any fines.
"It didn't take him long to do the maths," Mr Nolan said.
He said at one point he had counted up to 16 of Auto Imports and Wholesale's vehicles parked on the street, but this week he had seen a "drastic reduction in the amount".
A Queen St business owner said he had noticed an initial reduction in parked vehicles without number plates earlier this week.
But later in the week he had counted 15 parked vehicles, which were all unregistered.
"It's getting worse if anything," he said.
The Times-Age counted 11 unregistered and unwarranted vehicles, belonging to the company, parked in Queen St and Dixon St on Thursday afternoon.
Yesterday 10 were counted, with none appearing to be warranted and only two showing a dealership plate.
According to comments made on the Times-Age Facebook page, other Masterton dealerships have also been parking their vehicles on the road.
The Times-Age did a visit to other dealerships, but no unregistered and unwarranted cars were seen.
Many Facebook users have posted their thoughts on the issue, in response to stories that covered it earlier this month.
Raewyn Bond implied the dealership was being shown "favouritism" by not receiving fines for breaking the law.
"Any member of the public breaking the law in the street would be issued a ticket so why hasn't the business involved been fined as would any member of the public?"
The MDC does not have the authority to issue fines relating to roadworthiness in vehicles.
Mr Hoggard was called but said he would make no comment.