By JANE FIELD

RESIDENTS of Greenway in Lingley Green are fighting an access and parking nightmare which they say is destroying their quality of life.

More families moving on to the picturesque green over the years has inevitably meant an increase in cars but there are no driveways to accommodate them.

The knock-on effect, say residents, is that their beautiful green is being churned up, emergency vehicles and bin lorries are unable to gain access to houses, and deep ruts in the grass are filling with water and becoming a danger to children playing.

The narrowness of the circular road, the lack of off-road parking, the siting of telegraph poles and the elongated refuse vehicles are just a few of the reasons why problems have mounted.

There have been many complaints put to Warrington Borough Council over the past two years, and the council has now sent out a questionnaire to all residents for feedback on how the problems might be solved.

A meeting of Greenway Residents' Association even highlighted an incident where a baby had to be carried from a house to an ambulance which was unable gain access to the property.

Head campaigner and association chairman Trudi Wood says that she keeps a fire extinguisher and escape ladder in her house because she is sure that a fire engine would be unable to reach her property.

"This whole situation is nobody's fault but one which needs addressing and it is up to the council to do something," she said. "We need help with it.

"When we moved here 10 years ago it was beautiful but now you cannot distinguish the green from the road because of all the mud, which is both unsightly and a hazard.

"Another thing which may be adding to the problems is parents parking up and using an access path to Barrowhall Primary School. This is not a major problem until the bin men come and cannot access the green."

Alan Percival, of the borough council's refuse department, says that the vehicles can no longer navigate Greenway.

"The only solutions apparent are for the bins to be taken to the entrance of Greenway or altering to sack collection, which involves a much smaller vehicle but is restricted to three sacks per household each week," added Trudi.

Great Sankey North councillor Roy Smith is backing the residents. "I am going to contact BT and ask it to move the telegraph poles which are too close to the road," he said.