A NEW parking ban in a quiet street nestling beside York’s Bar Walls has caused anger amid claims that locals have been able to leave cars there for decades.

There is also upset about the lack of public consultation over the move which will force residents to park their vehicles in less secure areas often targeted by vandals.

City of York Council announced in a letter to residents that parking would no longer be permitted at Leicester Way in York from September 1, and that penalties would be imposed on vehicles left there.

A spokeswoman told The Press: “Due to the excessive number of vehicles using Leicester Way and potentially restricting emergency vehicle access, we advised residents this road would be open for emergency access only.”

But Jamie Mills, a local resident, condemned the decision as “utter stupidity”.

“I have lived here on and off for more than 30 years,” he said.

“All that time we have parked in the empty strip of land opposite Leicester Way. It is secure parking for us and our visitors.

“A lot of residents have garages but there are not enough to go around. How can they do this without consultation?”

In a letter to the council, he said the land in question offered car owners a degree of security. “It is away from the main footfall of the street, and more than wide enough to allow free-flowing access and right of way when vehicles are parked there.”

He said parked cars on nearby George Street and Lead Mill Lane had been vandalised – which he blamed on drinkers – and accused the council of showing “little concern for residents who have to put up with the noise, intimidation and casual vandalism of out of town patrons”.

He said: “I cannot emphasise how stressful and frustrating it can be when you go to your car and the aerial has been snapped off or the side has been scratched. The land at Leicester Way at least provided some degree of security.”

However, the council spokeswoman said: “Since Leicester Way has never officially been designated for parking, no consultation needed to be carried out. However, this will not restrict residents who are entitled to residents’ parking permits to park in authorised bays.”