Cornish village residents in parking row with tourists

Traffic cones used to deter drivers from parking on main road at Polzeath after rain delayed painting of double yellow lines

Residents of a village in Cornwall have accused tourists of problem parking, which they claim has led to hundreds of traffic cones being deployed.
The cones have been used to deter drivers from parking on the main road at Polzeath after rain delayed the painting of double yellow lines.
Polzeath, popular with holidaymakers and surfers, has been overrun by problem parkers, causing traffic jams. Villagers have said the problem lies with tourists, but local authorities claim locals are also at fault. 
In an attempt to control the jams over the Easter holidays, the council and Highways Agency turned to traffic cones.
Andy Stewart, 54, a senior beach ranger who lives near Polzeath, said: “There used to be a single yellow line, but that was removed so double yellows could be painted.
“The weather prevented that from happening for quite some time – then Easter hit and people were just taking advantage of free parking in a place that affects the flow of traffic. At times it can be unsafe, so me and the parish council contacted the Highways Agency. They came out and deployed millions of cones.
“No one is at fault – the council aren’t at fault, the Highways Agency aren’t at fault, it’s just one of those things. It’s just nature doing its thing to make it complicated.”
After the Polzeath Beach Ranger Service posted pictures of the cones on Facebook, the images attracted comments from both tourists and locals.
“It’s a huge shame it’s come to this. If only people would use the brains they were born with when parking,” one wrote, while another said: “It’s been horrendous the past week. No room for buses and emergency services to get through.”
But visitors hit back, with one commenting: “I’m really not feeling very welcome to visit Polzeath any more … we are not all idiots or inconsiderate.”
Mr Stewart said he had spotted locals taking advantage of the free parking as well as tourists, adding: “No one in particular is being targeted, to a certain extent I don’t blame people for parking there. It’s not targeting a specific demographic, it’s just solving a problem.
“The priority of the beach rangers service and the two parish councils is safety and maintaining the flow of traffic, and that’s all this was about.”
The National Highways Agency has been approached for comment.