COUNCIL workers have been ‘rocking the boat’ by placing a large boulder on a patch of grass to prevent Canford Heath residents from parking there.

People living in Chalbury Close were bemused when the boulder mysteriously appeared on Wednesday morning.

And while jokes were made that it could be the beginning of a ‘Chalbury Henge’, many residents have been up in arms about the new feature.

Edward Talbot said the small area of grass was one of the few places where cars could park in the close, which is “absolutely horrendous for parking”.

“Parking is a serious problem in this street. It has been for over 10 years.

“We have cars parked on either side of the road. There are incidents where I can’t get my truck through and ambulances can’t get through.

“People have been parking on the patch of grass for years. It’s a wasted piece of land. I’ve always asked the council why it can’t be made into a proper car parking area.

“By placing this eyesore rock there they’re just hindering us not helping us.”

He added most of the neighbours were “disgusted” by the situation and were questioning how much the rock had cost.

A council spokesperson said it had been “redeployed” from elsewhere.

Sarah Turner, who is also a resident of Chalbury Close, said: “I think it’s funny how it’s turned up. It’s very random.”

“The council came back and had a look after the rock was put there, and a man walked over to it and then came back smiling.”

She added: “If they wanted to do something about people parking there they should have put up concrete posts or proper bollards. This rock is not going to prevent anyone.”

Rachel Palmer, street scene officer for Borough of Poole, said: “The boulder has been placed in this location following recurrent complaints over the period of a year about vehicles regularly parking on the grass verge, causing damage to the area.

“Vehicles parked on the grass have also been causing a large obstruction to our grounds maintenance team, preventing grass cutting from taking place both underneath the vehicle and around it.”

She added: “Wooden bollards were previously installed as a preventative measure on the opposite section of the dropped kerb but unfortunately proved unsuccessful.”