Wolverhampton residents protest over hospital parking in their street

They say somebody could die because of inconsiderate parking .

Around a dozen residents lined up with wheelie bins to stop cars gaining access to their street near Wolverhampton's New Cross Hospital on Friday.

People living in a cul-de-sac section of Wolverhampton Road in Heath Town say lives are being put at risk by motorists who park both sides of the narrow road, making it difficult for fire engines or ambulances to access the road in the event of an emergency.

Resident Christine Baldwin said: "Somebody is going to die, because they won't be able to get an ambulance round there."

Miss Baldwin, who works at Wolverhampton University, said she was unable to take her 82-year-old mother Edna out because she could not get the car close enough to the door.

Lynn Mallin, who organised the demonstration, said people in the street were afraid to leave their homes, in case they could not park when they returned.

"If they could park in our gardens they would," she said.

"We have got many elderly residents in this road, and when the Ring and Ride bus comes it has to park some way down the road, so people have to walk to it."

Mrs Mallin, a 42-year-old charity worker, said Wolverhampton Council had carried out a consultation into the possibility of introducing a residents' parking permit scheme in the road, but said there was insufficient support.

"We can't have visitors because there is nowhere to park," she says.

Neighbour Margaret Flavell, who is 76, added: "I never have visitors because they can't park.

"My daughters can't come here for the same reasons, they have to come at night.

"My sister's stopped coming, she's disabled and can't walk far"

She said the problem had become worse since the hospital introduced charges for staff parking.

"We see the same cars every day," she said.

Heath Town councillor Milkinder Jaspal said he was totally in support of the protest, adding that residents had to endure a lot of problems over the years.

He said he had been calling on Wolverhampton council to do something for many years.

"I'm suggesting parking meters as one possible suggestion, if people had to pay to park in the road, they would park inside the hospital grounds."

Councillor Jaspal said his ward colleagues councillors Jasbir Jaspal and Caroline Siarkiewicz also supported the residents.

A spokesman for the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust said: "It is disappointing that some of our staff do not park with respect towards our neighbours. The trust advises staff to park courteously at all times and provides parking on site."

A spokesman for Wolverhampton Council said: "Clearly residents feel very strongly about this and we are keen to work with them to see what can be done to alleviate the issues."

We have consulted with residents from this road in recent years over proposals to introduce a parking permit scheme, but the plan was not supported by them. We look to see if there are any alternative measures which could assist."