We’re at war with our neighbours over parking – they leave their cars in front of our drive and it’s a nightmare

A GROUP of locals have shared how they are "at war" with their neighbours over parking spaces.

Residents at Dacombe Close near Poole, Dorset, said finding parking has become a "nightmare" as many leave their cars in front of their drives.

They described a "wild west" of cars mounting grass verges, vans blocking street corners, and delivery trucks getting stuck.

One of the main culprits was said to be a local builder who often parks on the corner of the road.

One elderly woman who had lived on the estate since the 1970s said: "He gets on my nerves because he's always parking in front of my rose bush and nobody can get past.

"People might say, 'well you should get rid of the rose bush', but it's been here for longer than I have".

Responding to concerns about his parking habits, the builder, said he had a 15ft by 10ft gated driveway but keeps it free so his "dog could run around".

He said: "There are so many bad things happening in the world and people are worried about a man like me who's just trying to feed his family.

"I need to park my van somewhere. I couldn't care less where other people park.

"If she's complaining that people can't get past on the pavement, she should trim the rosebush - it's massive".

Another residentTony Orchard, 60, who lives on the road with his wife and son, has a large caravan on the driveway which means he needs to park his car on the street.

He said: "I have to park on the pavement so people can drive past. I can't help it - I have to park my caravan on the drive. I can't afford to put it into storage.

"It doesn't help that people park their cars in such a way that there's no room for anybody else.

"We have a lot of lorries bringing deliveries like online shopping or furniture and they've gotten stuck before now".

David Dimner said people were "fighting for spaces".

He said: "The roads are just too narrow and people have got to park somewhere.

"The estate should never have been built like this".

Kathy Hirons, 49, a web designer, said: "I have no idea what can be done about it - there just isn't enough space for cars. People in the flats have nowhere to park.

"There is a builder who blocks the corner - that caused an accident not long ago.

"Two cars were coming around the corner and they couldn't see each other because he was in the way. It's just silly parking like that which causes problems.

"People used to park on the green until they put the boulders up. There was one very close call when a car was driving across it and almost hit a child who way laying in the long grass.

"They used to churn up the mud so much that an old woman slipped and fell - that's a big thing for a lady in her 90s".

Some homeowners blamed the poor planning design of the 1970s estate for causing the parking problems.

Others said the number of people converting their adjoining garages into extended lounges had also led to the increase in on-street parking.

Meanwhile, a resident has resorted to using wheelie bins to save a parking space outside her house.

A farmer installed a sign reading “Parking neat and tight £3, parking like a wally £10” after being left furious how visitors to Portheras Cove in west Cornwall were parking in his car park.

And residents of Fulham, south-west London say they feel like they are living in "North Korea" after a camera system installed by a council to cut traffic has made their lives a misery.