Car boot spells traffic misery for villagers

A car boot sale has been launched just yards from another long-running sale in South Staffordshire - causing more traffic misery for villagers.

One of the Sunday car boot sales has been held on land off the A460 Cannock Road between Featherstone and Shareshill for more than 20 years, and the Shareshill car boot sale has now started just 350 yards away.

Councillors said today the sales were causing traffic misery every Sunday and want action to reduce congestion.

District councillor and chairman of Shareshill Parish Council, Bob Cope said the numbers of cars parking in the village have increased recently. Councillor Cope said the smaller event, billed as the Shareshill Sunday afternoon sale, ran in previous years but only for a few weeks.

He claims the sale now operates alongside the larger Featherstone event during its 14 week run in the spring and early summer. "It has become a nightmare for us," he said. "Cars are waiting at the two turn-ins at the separate car boots meaning the traffic is held up twice. There are tailbacks all the way up to the Junction 11 of the M6.

"I accept that people enjoy the car boots but there seems to be no-one marshalling the traffic chaos."

Councillor Cope said he had become so concerned with the volume of traffic that he would be informing district and county council officers about the issue.

"I urgently want a meeting to get something done as it can't continue as it is," he said. "It brings no benefit to the village and instead it just causes problems for the villagers."

South Staffordshire Council spokesman Jamie Angus said the organisers of car boot sales are allowed to hold 14 separate events in one year on any one site. He added the authority could not impose any restrictions on car boot sales.

No-one from Midlands Car Boot Sales was available today.

Jams at car boot sales on the A460 Cannock Road were a problem two years ago.

Market Promotions was putting on weekly sales in Featherstone, Saredon and Essington.

But bosses claimed that while the volume of people flocking to them put pressure on the areas, delays were not caused by bargain hunters.

The company claimed it never caused queues and put 200 vehicle 'no parking' cones out to prevent any illegal parking.