Van man’s fury as neighbours use trolleys full of CONCRETE BLOCKS to save parking spots in road war
A VAN man has blasted desperate drivers for leaving trollies filled with CONCRETE BLOCKS to save their parking spaces.
The worker, who did not wish to be named, said residents living in Sparkhill and Sparkbrook, Birmingham, have gone to a number of extreme lengths to secure the spots outside their homes.
He said he seen sofas, cushions, cones, bins and bricks to reserve the hard-to-come by spaces, but said the trolleys takes things “to another level”.
The man told how two trollies had been placed facing each other in the road outside homes, weighted down with slabs of concrete.
Rocks had also been wedged behind the wheels to secure them into place.
He told the Birmingham Mail: “I was driving through Sparkbrook and I saw a parking space with concrete blocks inside trollies.
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“There was concrete behind the wheels to stop them from rolling away.
“They were reserving a decent amount of space to get a car in or a larger vehicle.”
The worker explained there are no road markings on the road, adding “it’s crazy” that some people would think they can reserve a space.
He said: “It’s unacceptable if that is the only space available.”
The clamour of parking spaces has also led to a raft of terrible parking – with some unattended cars left abandoned in the road, blocking emergency services and bin men.
Today, The Sun Online saw cars parked vertically to the kerbside, on a junction and over a speed table.
Outside one house a sign in the front garden begged: “Please keep this space free. It is needed for medical visits”.
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Mohammed Ali, 40, who works at a fast food store on busy Stratford Road, said: “It’s a nightmare here to park. The area is so densely populated and the roads are so narrow.
“Lots of people put cones outside their homes in the hope that no-one will park there. But drivers will just move the cones.
“Because there is nowhere to park people just park where they can. Lots of cars will park on double yellow lines and on speed bumps.
“Many days roads will be blocked because there’s car in the way.”
Last month cops blitzed the streets to slap parking fines on scores of cars.
West Midlands Police named and shamed drivers online to showcase the “careless behaviour residents have to put up with”.
And Birmingham City Council had to install bollards on the pavement “to keep pedestrians safe” outside shops.
Emergency services have also been stopped from getting to incidents because of dozy drivers.
In April, fire crews were forced to shout, knock on doors and blast their sirens to get residents to move their cars.
Bin lorries have also been unable to collect rubbish because of blocked roads.
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Local resident Imran Mahmood, 57, added: “People just plonk their cars where they like. I’m not surprised that someone’s using a trolley. It’s so frustrating to find a spot.
“We need parking wardens every day around here. They would make a fortune.”