We live in one of UK’s most picturesque areas but our lives are ruined by neighbour parking war – our cars get smashed
NEIGHBOURS say their lives are being made a misery by terrible parking on their street.
Residents living in Ancoats, Manchester say the council needs to do more to stop drivers leaving their cars on grass verges.
The Ancoats area is well-known for its picturesque streets lined with houses popular with Instagram models – but Weybridge Road has become a nightmare.
People living there say they’re unable to pull out of junctions safely due to poor visibility while bin lorries and emergency vehicles can’t get onto their road.
The local council says they can’t do anything to fix the problem immediately – leaving residents frustrated and furious.
Weybridge Street resident Jaime Lightbrowne, 36, said: “You look out the window and all you see is cars. You can’t see trees — it’s just a car park.”
The area is a hub for Instagram models because of its quaint streets lined with houses built for factory workers during the industrial revolution.
But angry neighbours have now clubbed together to start a petition blasting the council for not doing enough to stop poor parking.
Chris Northwood, a Liberal Democrat campaigner who lives nearby, said people are parking along the road for free before heading into town.
He told the Manchester Evening News: “Some have had windows smashed, and people leave cones out to stop people parking outside their house.”
Labour Ancoats councillor Majid Dat said the situation was “disgraceful”.
He added: “Parking down Weybridge Street and the surrounding area is disgraceful and we share residents’ anger on it.”
The council says there is nothing it can do in the short-term, but it is hoping to bring in a new residents’ parking scheme for the area.
A spokesman said: “Funding has been secured by the Council to develop a residents’ parking scheme in Ancoats and New Islington, a project the Council remains committed to.
“This project is currently in the early stages of development, with data being collected on how residents and businesses use this area.
“It is important that engagement takes place to ensure the type and frequency of parking issues caused by out of area vehicles can be thoroughly assessed and understood.
“When the time comes the Council would encourage all residents to make their views known so that the final scheme is best suited to their needs.”
It comes after an angry driver handed “bad parking cards” out along his street.
And a woman called a tow truck to remove a car that kept stealing her space.
The terraced houses lining nearby Anita Street and George Leigh Street in the Ancoats area of Manchester are a viral sensation.
The row of houses, which were built during the Industrial Revolution for factory workers in 1897, have appeared in a number of TV shows.