RESIDENTS living near Bradford Royal Infirmary and Bradford Girls' Grammar School have formed an action group to try and address parking chaos near their homes caused by inconsiderate drivers.

Problems have been documented around the area for years, but residents say the situation has become worse since the grammar school became a free school two years ago.

Residents say the majority of cars left in Lingwood Avenue, Como Avenue and Lingwood Road, plus other areas around West Park are mostly NHS staff at the infirmary, with some of the cars blocking cars in driveways.

Another major problem is caused twice a day by parents dropping off and picking up their children at Bradford Girls' Grammar School.

Residents say they not only cause gridlock, but they leave their cars blocking road ends and driveways. They are also abusive when asked to move and several residents have had damage to their cars.

A spokesman for the hospital said a new car park was being created which may ease the problem and were also actively looking at other ways to ease parking problems, while the school said it was urging parents who live nearby to walk to school.

A meeting between concerned residents, the school, police, representatives of the hospital and Bradford Council was held in Girlington Community Centre on Tuesday with suggestions ranging from a one-way system to residents only parking.

Rafiq Sehgal, president of the Bradford Council for Mosques, who lives in Lingwood Road and chaired the meeting said: "We need to get together to try and sort this whole parking problem in an amicable way."

Bradford West police inspector Tom Casey said he was aware of the problem and said the police and partners were looking at what could be done. "If people are parking legally there is nothing we can do. If they are causing obstruction or anti-social behaviour then that comes back to us. We all need to work together to try and alleviate the problem.

Councillor Fozia Shaheen (Labour, Toller) said she had already been lobbying for the residents and had put a request in to the Bradford West Area Committee to look at a residents' parking scheme.

"They said they would look at this in the 2017/18 budget so we will know more at the next meeting in April," she said.

Councillor Mohammed Amran, chair of the Bradford West Area Committee said he understood the problems around the school tut he said the school was not to blame for the way parents were parking. "The school's hands are tied because they have no jurisdiction outside the gates. They send letters out and ask parents to be considerate," he said.

A spokesperson for Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "The Trust regularly asks all members of staff to ensure that if they park in residential areas they do so responsibly and considerately.

“It is acknowledged that demand for parking at the Infirmary exceeds availability. However, completion of the new hospital wing development including accessible entrance will increase parking provision for patients and disabled motorists.

"The Foundation Trust has also recently secured planning permission to create 84 additional parking spaces, which will be used to increase availability for both staff and visitors.”

A spokesman for Bradford Girls' Grammar School said: "Whilst the school sympathises with the residents we do not have enough car parking spaces, nor room for expansion, to allow parents to park on the school grounds.

"Given, that the majority of pupils live in households within a relatively small catchment area around Squire Lane, we actively encourage all parents to walk their children to school. Where they feel it necessary to drive to school we emphasise caution and care when dropping their children off."