A POSSIBLE cure for parking headaches in Cowling has been prescribed following complaints from residents.

At a meeting of the parish council this week a delegation of residents from Middleton, a terrace of houses on the outskirts of the village, asked if something could be done to alleviate the parking problems which they say have got worse in recent years.

Spokesman Betty Bestall said residents were finding it impossible to park safely and said much of the problem was being caused by people attending yoga classes in one of the houses four times a week.

"It's getting ridiculous," said Mrs Bestall. "You daren't go out on yoga days because you can't get back. One woman has even changed her shopping day twice because of it."

She said cars were parked "all over the place" and it had got to the point where residents needed to know what could be done.

Mrs Bestall, who walks with the aid of a stick, added that the increasing number of visitors to the street was causing a knock-on problem for residents.

She produced a letter from someone nearby telling her not to park in front of her house. The letter said: "If you cannot park outside your house that does not give you the right to park outside mine. You should get a house with a parking space."

She said the situation was becoming increasingly difficult, and said it could lead to a fall out.

Chairman of the parish council, Coun John Alderson sympathised with Mrs Bestall and agreed that parking at Middleton had been a problem for a long time.

"The road, as far as I know, is not adopted. If it was an adopted road you would not have any rights. Anyone could park anywhere. Because it is still private I understand you have the right to park outside your own property, but no one else's. You will have to look that up," said Coun Alderson.

"I suggest you try and get everyone from Middleton together to have a meeting and find a solution. Perhaps there is some land about which you could pin-point as a parking area."

He added that the residents could form a working group and apply for funding for a feasibility study and then apply for grants to purchase some land.

Mrs Bestall said there were one or two ideal places, but was unsure whether they would be available for sale. However, she said it was worth looking into if it meant a better quality of life for residents in the future.