School run parking a nightmare, residents say

People living near an East Yorkshire primary school have claimed their lives are being made a "nightmare" by parents parking at pick-up and drop-off times.

The BBC visited the streets around Westfield Primary School in Cottingham following complaints about driveways being blocked and residents facing verbal abuse.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council said it was aware of the concerns and had sent civil enforcement officers, but told the BBC there was "no evidence" to suggest the situation was worse than elsewhere.

Samantha Hickey, the headteacher, said: "Our school encourages parents to park considerately to reduce the impact on residents."

"We also encourage families to use active travel where they can – walking, scooting or cycling – particularly as the days begin to get warmer," she added.

The school is based in Westfield Road, a residential street with parking spaces on both sides of the carriageway.

Liz Hardy, who lives in the area with her disabled daughter, described the parking situation as an "ongoing problem".

"It's a nightmare. I can't get in or out of my drive at drop-off or pick-up times," she said.

"We have to work around it, but if anyone needed the emergency services they'd struggle to get here.

"I've asked people to move, I've contacted the council, I've spoken to the school, but parents just don't listen."

Other residents echoed the concerns and said they worried about the safety of children, given the volume of traffic.

One said: "It's always busy here, people park across our drive all the time and I'm always having to ask the parents to move.

"I've had people swear at my neighbours. They never apologise for the disruption and I wish they'd just close the road to stop people using cars near the school."

Parents picking up their children from the school said they understood the frustration of residents and insisted a small minority had caused the problems.

Karen Button said: "We walk as much as possible because it's chaos. It's dangerous, crowded, not safe and people don't park where they should and block driveways.

"Sadly, I don't think there will ever be a solution."

A spokesperson for the council said the authority was monitoring the situation and working closely with Humberside Police.

"At this time, there is no evidence to suggest the parking situation outside the school is any worse than elsewhere," they said.

"However, we are committed to ensuring the safety of children and parents, and we will continue to assess the situation.

"Once we have received further feedback from both our civil enforcement officers and the police, we will consider any potential measures to improve the situation, if necessary."

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