RESIDENTS have called for action over cars parked on a grass verge near to St Neots train station.

A single yellow line runs along the side of Hawkesden Road and Station Road, preventing cars from parking on the street itself.

However it appears there is nothing to stop motorists leaving their vehicles on the grass beside it, even though neighbours describe it as “unsightly”.

George Ball, 72, of nearby Rowley Road, said: “I think it’s terrible.

“The grass at this time of year is wet and muddy and it is getting all chewed up by the cars left on there. It could be easily stopped by putting bollards there.”

Alan Pavitt emailed the Hunts Post to register his “disgust” at the situation.

“I counted 32 cars on the green on one occasion I passed by, with the green all churned up,” he said. “They are obviously parking there to avoid fees for parking in the station car park.

“I think it is a disgrace for this to continue and someone must be responsible.”

However John Soares, of Swallow Close, which is opposite the verge, said: “It is a bit unsightly but I don’t have too much of a problem with it as the cars are not causing an obstruction.”

Councillor Barry Chapman, who represents the St Neots Priory Park ward on Huntingdonshire District Council. said it was a “difficult issue” made all the more complex by confusion over who owns the grass verge and is therefore responsible for enforcement.

“It’s been something that’s been going on for a couple of years but it has only recently reached a critical mass, because people have seen that everyone else is doing it,” he said.

A police spokesman said the matter was being discussed between them and the local authority but that they were unable to use enforcement because the road has reportedly not been adopted as a highway.

Many residents said the main obstructions caused by parked cars in the area were in Longsands Road and Rowley Road, where cars left on corners create a hazards for oncoming traffic, particularly in rush hour.

John Thomas, 78, of Rowley Road, said: “It’s a nuisance. When people are bringing their kids to schools, you will often hear screeches of braking.

“The people who park here don’t know what harm they are causing during the day. It could be stopped by painting yellow lines.”

However 68-year-old Sanchia Brown, also of Rowley Road, said: “It is not a problem for my husband and I because the parked cars slow the traffic down.”