PARKING problems were up for discussion after residents put their complaints in writing to Middlewich Town Council.

At the town council meeting on Monday night, councillors thrashed out letters written by two residents concerning parking problems at Dierdens Terrace and on the Booth Lane junction with Long Lane South.

The first issue was raised in a letter from Mrs Hawkins, of Dierdens Terrace, who wanted to know if the town council could do anything to alleviate parking after she saw an ambulance struggle to pick up a neighbour because of stationary vehicles.

The second was put forward in a letter from Gary Clare, of Booth Lane, who lodged a complaint regarding an increase in parking of residential and commercial vehicles on the grass verge opposite the junction with Long Lane South.

Clr Alison Roylance White said: "It comes back to the issue of reinforcement of the parking signs we have got on our roads.

"Until the police start to come out and put some tickets on these cars we're fighting a losing battle."

Clr Mike Parsons suggests that 'residents only' parking might be a solution to the problem.

He said: "The problem we had in Civic Way with the fire engine is enough to prove that if we have an emergency we'll have a serious problem."

Clr Chalky White said: "There are two issues here - parking on grass verges and parking in front of residents' houses."

The council acknowledged a similar discussion had taken place earlier this year in relation to parking on Booth Lane and resolved to revisit all correspondence relating to the problem of parking on grass verges to reinforce the issue with Congleton Borough Council's joint highways department and British Waterways.