A PARKING row has erupted in Toft Hill after county council officers announced they are to install fencing to prevent cars driving on grass verges.
The issue came to a head at Etherley Parish Council’s latest meeting when a group of residents protested against the planned installation of birds-mouth fencing between a roadside footpath and adjacent grass verges.
The barrier is aimed at preventing the grass verges being chewed up by vehicles that park on it.
However, residents say this will force people to park on the road bringing the A68 through the village to a standstill.
One resident said: “Your car is going to have to be so far over, so there is a gap between the fence and car for people to get past with a pushchair or a wheelchair. Then your car is practically in the middle of the road and nobody is getting past.”
Chairman of the parish council Cllr Paul Ryman said the problem had been ongoing for more than 15 years and a compromise had been reached with police to allow people to park partly on the footpath and partly on the road.
However, people still drove over the footpath to park fully on the grass and this had led to complaints about the damage being caused.
The parish council had initially asked county officers to create more parking by moving the path to create a layby, but this was not possible because of costs and utilities both above and below the ground, Cllr Ryman said.
The chairman added: “Then we asked what different option could they give us and initially they said put bollards between the footpaths and the grass verge.
“That didn’t happen on the grounds of the costs. When we asked them this last time they said birds-mouth fencing,” he added.
Another resident argued that elsewhere in the village people were parking on grass verges but no action was being taken there.
It was noted, however, that those verges were privately owned and not county council property, to which a resident retorted: “Whoever is parking on the grass though, is coming over the footpath, which the council has told me, you are not allowed to go over.”
Police have also issued notices to people in the area that vehicles crossing the footpath is not allowed, the council heard.
Residents were urged to take their complaints to Durham County Council which is responsible for the grass verges.
