A BLIND activist has renewed calls to ban drivers parking on pavements in Southend, after campaigning for a nationwide law change for 45 years.

It follows a ban introduced in Scotland on December 11, where drivers can be fined up to £100 for parking on pavements or at dropped kerbs.

Author Jill Allen-King OBE, from Westcliff, has supported a similar ban since the National Federation of the Blind started its "Give Us Back Our Pavements" campaign in 1978.

Echo: Cars and overhanging branches both pose a problem for blind or visually-impaired pedestrians.Cars and overhanging branches both pose a problem for blind or visually-impaired pedestrians. (Image: Ben Shahrabi)

She said: “There are so many people like me, or in wheelchairs and scooters, who just can't go out of their own houses because of people parked all over the pavements.

“It just seems like a habit that they put two or four wheels up on the pavement. But what they don't realise is they crack and break them. They were built for people, not vehicles.”

While there have been one-off projects to curb pavement parking, Mrs Allen-King feels police have “never seen it as a real issue”.

She said: “Unless it affects you or someone in your family, you don't realise how much of a hazard it is.”

Echo: Some cars leave limited space on the pavements.Some cars leave limited space on the pavements. (Image: Ben Shahrabi)

However, Mrs Allen-King’s difficulties getting around are not just limited to cars on the pavements.

“It's also things like overhanging branches and uneven pavements, as well as all the vehicles,” she added.

“The pavement here is really bad. It’s so dangerous and shouldn’t be like this. I fell near here a few years ago.”

Echo: Campaigners have been calling for a ban since 1978.Campaigners have been calling for a ban since 1978. (Image: Ben Shahrabi)

The National Federation of the Blind’s campaign also covers other hazards such as cyclists who ride on pavements.

Mrs Allen-King recalled: “A few years ago, there was a lady on my road who tried to ride between me and one of my older guide dogs. She said, ‘Can't you move?’

“I said, ‘Can you see? I can't, I'm totally blind’. My handbag got caught over the handlebars on her bike.

“In our leaflets that we used for cyclists, we said: 'blind and partially sighted people can't see you, deaf and hard of hearing people can't hear you, and elderly and disabled people can't move out of your way quickly’.”