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Access to a street in Cardiff has been blocked off by a resident in protest against parking restrictions.

Moorland Road in Splott in Cardiff was blocked off by resident Vincent Crowley’s van on Monday afternoon, and the father of three said he would remain there until he got a response from Cardiff council .

From 12pm, he had blocked all access to the end of the street closest to the roadworks on Beresford Road bridge, which leads onto Moorland Road and connects Splott and Adamsdown .

He said since the bridge was closed, “vital” parking spaces have been taken away from residents, and there are now not enough spaces to park.

He said that has meant, since the work started in July, the street’s residents have been forced to park on the double yellow lines that go along one side of the road, and have received various fines for doing so.

According to Mr Crowley, a delivery driver, he had received two fines and a neighbour of his had received four in total, which they are in the process of contesting.

He added: “They have taken about 50m of parking spaces away from us by shutting off the top of the street.

'There’s no reason for these double yellow lines to be here'

“That means when everyone is home at about 6pm or 7pm, some of us are now forced to park on double yellow lines because there’s no where else to park. Some have had to park round the corner, a good walk from their homes. And there’s no reason for these double yellow lines to be here.

“We want Cardiff council to suspend the double yellows until the work is finished. We all feel the same on this road and are just asking for a bit of common sense from the council. We put up with the noise, vibrations and pile driving coming from the works site, but we aren’t going to put up with the parking situation any longer.”

The road was closed as Beresford Road Bridge was subject to work to upgrade the railway. The bridge, described by Network Rail as “ageing”, was to be replaced with a new, improved structure to accommodate a new fleet of electric trains.

(Image: Richard Swingler)

'It makes me angry'

Residents have been told by the council and Network Rail the work would be finishing in the spring, but Mr Crowley said: “That’s still three or four months. It makes me angry. It’s not the ticket that makes me angry, more the people behind them.”

On Monday afternoon, his van blocked the road with signs reading: “Forced to park on double yellow lines” and “No more tickets”.

During the first hour of the protest, several cars turned around once they realised the road was blocked, and a works van trying to gain access to the site turned around to drive to the access point on the other side of the bridge.

Mr Crowley added: “I’m not moving and I’m willing to stay here as long as needed. I’ve got tea, coffee and biscuits so could be here for a long time, until I get an answer from the council.”

A spokesman for Cardiff council said: "We will work with local councillors and residents to explain that the double yellow lines are in place on that side of the road for safety reasons and they cannot be moved across to the other side of the road, as it wouldn’t be safe to do so.

"This is why there are railings in place as well to protect pedestrians and the frontage of the properties. Parking is available on the other side of the road from this gentleman’s house."

He added: "Network Rail haven’t received any complaints in relation to the loss of car parking due to the reconstruction of Beresford Road Bridge.

“There were only three tickets issued on this road yesterday, one for parking on a pedestrian crossing and two for parking illegally on double yellow lines.

"Any parking ticket can be appealed and all cases will be dealt with on a case by case basis. If this gentleman is blocking the highway, it is an obstruction and is a police matter."