Blatant bad parking in Telford provokes a storm on social media

Officers posted on their Facebook page that they had been out on foot patrol in North Road - a notorious hotspot near two schools for bad parking - and had "advised" both drivers.

One of the pictures on social media showed a white van with wheels up on the pavement and straddling double yellow lines. The other showed what looked like an estate car with all four wheels on the pavement.

A spokesman for the police said: "PCSO Jones. Foot patrol North Road this morning.

"Hopefully once foot path work safety works are completed this will help prevent these issues.

"Both drivers advised."

It soon provoked reactions on the social media site, with many calling for parking enforcement to get tougher.

One said: "Interested to understand why advice was given but enforcement wasn’t.

"I’m all for advocating the police, they do a great job. But on this occasion I think you’ve fallen short of people, parents and pupils expectations."

Another response said: "Both drivers should have been issued with a penalty not just advised.

"Breaching highway code. What's happening to policing? have you all gone soft?

"This is a blatant disregard for the rules yet again! Cars on footpaths or pedestrian area's are a hazard for everyone."

The council has powers of enforcement in the area and that provoked a response from Councillor Stuart Parr.

He said: "The police can enforce traffic offences, even where the council has powers for that type of enforcement.

"By policy they choose not to do enforcement where the council has the power unless there's a good reason to. Personally, I think the fact that it's outside a school and in one case quite obviously driven with all four wheels on the pavement to go the wrong side of a safety fence, the police should be taking enforcement action.

"I do sympathise with the situation parents find themselves in.

"The siting of two schools opposite each other is something that almost certainly wouldn't happen now for this reason but back when those schools were built not many kids would have gone to school by car.

"However, the answer to the lack of safe drop off and pick up points is not to drive on the pavement, not to park on double yellow lines, not to park on peoples' drives and not to block side roads.

"Myself and Councillor Hall have asked the council to look at providing more parking in Parklands and North Road which will help a little bit but parents have got to change their behaviour."