A LEIGH road is embroiled in a bitter battle between residents and commuters over parking spots.

Residents in Leighville Grove, Leigh, have resorting to reserving spaces near their homes with wheelie bins and cones, to prevent others from parking there.

Southend Council has warned residents the behaviour is illegal and could cause issues for emergency services.

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Chris Valentine, who works nearby and tries to park on the road most days, said: “It’s disgraceful and selfish behaviour, preventing parking by placing bins and cones on the road.

“I get that parking can be an issue in the area, but this is completely immoral.”

The 46-year-old added: “On more than one occasion I’ve tried to move a bin to park, and they come straight out of their homes to put them back and block me out, it’s ridiculous.

“If they don’t want other parking on their road, they should live on a road with residential parking only.”

The law does not provide any rights for people to park in front of their own homes.

And unless a street is governed by residents' parking permits, any member of the public can park there as long as they are complying with restrictions, and not causing obstructions.

Councillor Steven Wakefield, responsible for highways, transport and parking, said: “Blocking public roads or pavements with cones or bins can cause significant issues to both parking and also accessibility for our residents and also emergency services.

“Residents cannot place any items such as traffic cones or bins on the public highway, including the pavement, without having the appropriate licence in place and having a legitimate reason to do so. If residents have concerns regarding issues such as this, they should report this through MySouthend, where an enforcement officer will investigate the issue, and if necessary, remove the items and keep them in storage, before being disposed of.

“Under section 137 of the Highways Act 1980, it is a criminal offence to obstruct the entire of part of a public highway. We would always seek to engage with residents in the first instance to educate and advise on the issue.”