LV= needs to take responsibility before someone is killed, say residents furious at staff parking on their streets

People living in Chester Road, Ormonde Road and Eaton Road say they are sick of employees from LV=, based at the County Gates Roundabout, parking in their streets.

So they lined their bins up to in an effort to block people from parking there instead of the company's carpark.

Instead they want Borough of Poole to make the road available exclusively for those with a resident parking permits.

Stephanie Roberts, 52, from Chester Road, said: "If you ask people from LV= not to park here because you have doctors or builders coming, they become aggressive.

"Why do the council make it a conservation area then allow LV= staff to use it as a car park?

"A cat was killed down the road the other week and it could be a child next. The road is barely wide enough for people to park on both sides and a car to still go through."

Another resident, Eric Roberts, said: "LV= needs to take responsibility before someone is killed. When a conservation area road is full on both sides, traffic is constrained to get through and if someone crosses in between the cars, they won't be seen.

"Their corporate responsibility is to care for the community and they are not doing that."

A LV=spokesperson, which employs around 2,000 people from Bournemouth and Poole, said that employees are offered a number of alternative travel arrangements including a park and ride scheme, discounted bus season tickets and cycle to work facilities.

He added: "As a significant employer in Bournemouth, we take our obligations to our neighbours and the wider community very seriously.

"We recognise that some of our people park in local streets so that they can come to work. They do so legally and we have received no evidence of anti-social behaviour from our staff."

Staff from LV= have also spoken to the council to request that security is improved in certain public car parks to ensure the safety of their vehicles.

Cllr Mohan Iyengar, who represents Canford Cliffs, says he will continue to work with local residents and LV= staff to 'find a resolution' while balancing the parking needs of those who live and work in the area.

"However, I would encourage residents to not block the public highway but to keep their concerns alive through the dialogue already underway between residents, local employers and the council.

"Some time ago parking restrictions were brought into adjacent streets but not in Chester, Ormonde and Eaton Roads where there was little residents’ support to do so.

"However, in the last two years we’ve seen the level of parking increase. As a result, this matter has been reviewed at the council’s Transportation Advisory Group and at local residents’ forums on four occasions over this period."