PARENTS at an Addingham nursery have been banned from using a pub car park when they drop off and pick up their children.

For the last three years, parents using Nursery Rhymes have been able to use the car park of the Crown public house on Main Street.

They had permission to park until 4pm to drop off and pick up their children, before public house customers began arriving. A sign in the car park of the public house says that illegal parking will result in clamped

vehicles.

Because some of the parents abused the privilege by leaving their cars there for longer periods -

preventing pub customers from using the small car park - landlady

Maria Wells has withdrawn her permission.

Although some parents are

unhappy about the decision, nursery owner Andrea Parker said she fully understood the landlady's position and remained philosophical

about losing the handy parking

space.

Mrs Parker said: "At the end of the day it is her car park. She pays rent for it and has been very kind in letting us use it for the last three years. Her business is expanding and she needs the car parking space for her

customers.

"At the end of the day we are extremely grateful for the last three years. We are both trying to run a business, both trying to make money and at the end of the day, we have to work alongside each other. If she needs the car park, that's life." Maria Wells declined to comment to the Gazette.

Mrs Parker said that the issue highlighted the acute parking problems suffered by villagers. A recent traffic survey conducted in the village by the parish council revealed that along with speeding, parking was seen as one of the biggest problems faced by residents.

And recently, another Main Street public house landlord in Addingham, Richard Burrow, at The Swan, announced the intention to stop non pub customers from parking in his car park.

Mrs Parker said problems in Addingham had increased because of all the building work going on in the village. This resulted in lorries turning in the village and builders parking all day.

She called for Bradford Council to step in and impose a two-hour parking restriction on a Bolton Road car park which at present allowed 12-hour parking.

She said that shoppers could take advantage of a two-hour restriction before vacating the spaces.

She also asked for the Trustees of the Memorial Hall car park to open it up during the day for people who work or shop in the village.

"Addingham is struggling for car parking spaces and we have a huge car park at the Memorial Hall which the public are not allowed to use - which is empty all day long," said Mrs Parker.

But Parish Councillor Michael Aldridge, who is vice-chairman of the Memorial Hall trustees, said that the hall was well used on weekdays and people who hired the hall wanted car parking spaces.

He said: "At the end of the day, it is a private car park. People are not going to come if they can't park - that is our main consideration."

He added: "I don't know what

the answer is - it is an on-going

problem."

Fears over car parking recently resulted in the parish council's

reluctance to organise a meeting about the creation of a new

cycle, bridle and footpath along the former railway line to Bolton Abbey.

Although they have now agreed to host the meeting about the Sustrans Millennium charity proposal,

parish councillors still fear that

parking chaos in the village could result.

Coun Aldridge said that already weekend walkers dumping their cars for the day at Memorial Hall car park prevented legitimate hall users from parking, and that problems there would probably get worse when

the new medical centre was

constructed.