THE chairman of Melksham Seniors believes that people parking on pavements is a serious issue across the whole of Wiltshire and wants to see action taken.

After reading an article in the Wiltshire Times in which a Westbury pensioner said it was only a matter of time before someone got injured as a result of inconsiderate parking, Brian Warwick, a Community Champion for Older People in Wiltshire, contacted the paper to say it is a county-wide problem.

Mr Warwick, a retired engineer with two children, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, said: “As the pavements are technically highways, it’s a police matter and nothing to do with Wiltshire Council. I want to see something done about it soon.

“People who are visually impaired could easily walk into a car which is parked on a pavement and people in mobility scooters are forced out onto the road, which is very dangerous.

“I definitely think that the police should be more proactive in helping to prevent people from obstructing the public highways and I hope to see something done about it sooner rather than later."

In the original article, which was published in the August 19 edition of the Wiltshire Times, Westbury resident Bruce Yates expressed his concern at people parking poorly in the town, saying he worried for people's safety.

In response to the claims, a spokesperson for Wiltshire Police said: "We have recently investigated the Westbury area due to other complaints and we have found that vehicles are parking on unrestricted parts of the highway and therefore we are unable to enforce.

"Whereas we can understand how frustrating bad parking can be, police only deal with parking issues if the highway is being obstructed.

"We are monitoring the area and if at any time a vehicle is parked in contravention of a parking restriction then a Penalty Charge Notice can be issued.

"If you believe that the highway is being obstructed or that a parking issue may cause a danger to the public, please call the police on 101.”