Traders unhappy at Wolverhampton Metro parking woes

Priestfield is currently the last tram stop on the route from Birmingham to Wolverhampton while the St Georges platform in the city centre is lengthened so it can accommodate a new fleet of trams and a new crossover track is installed at The Royal.

Traders operating near Priestfield in Stow Heath say the number of cars parking in surrounding roads has quadrupled since the work started early last month, with some cars double parked and others left on curbs for up to 10 hours a day.

They say the extra cars have prevented people from parking outside their own houses, stopped businesses from receiving deliveries and blocked wheelchair users from travelling on the pavement.

Parampreet Tamber, aged 17, who works at his grandfather's shop, PS Stores on Bilston Road, said: "It is causing us a lot of difficulty. Cars are parked all around the area for most of the day, some of them illegally.

"We have had to turn away deliveries because there is nowhere for drivers to stop. We have called Centro but they say they are only responsible for their car park and can't do anything about what happens in the street."

Mr Tamber added that on one occasion an ambulance was prevented from getting down a nearby street due to cars being double parked.

Other businesses in the area have also been affected, including a nearby cafe and children's play centre.

Councillor Harman Banger, of East park ward, said he had contacted the council in an effort to get more enforcement officers to operate in the area.

"I have arranged for a highways officer to come down here just to see how bad the situation has become," he said.

"Ideally I would like to see temporary restrictions put in place until the work is complete. The residents are going through a really difficult time here and they need some help."

Councillor Banger said that he had written to Centro two weeks ago detailing his concerns but had not yet received a response.

He added: "I think the least they could have done was to post leaflets around the area informing people the potential knock-on effects of the work, but to my knowledge that has not happened."

Centro say they are only responsible for parking on Metro station car parks and have no control over commuters using street parking.

The work on St Georges and The Royal is due to finish in mid-November.

Last week fines of up to £100 came into force for commuters who park illegally at Midland Metro stations.