Greek police say they have issued five thousand parking tickets in the week since the imposition of strict traffic regulations in the central business district of Athens.

The BBC correspondent in the Greek capital says the new tough policy has caused anger among motorists, who say that driving around the city is already difficult.

Athens has narrow streets and numerous one-way systems. Residents say new rules such as a ban on parking on pavements and zebra crossings is now making things intolerable. Our correspondent says the city authorities want to reform the traffic system and the driving habits of residents before the Athens Olympics in the year two-thousand-and-four.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service