PEOPLE living near Worcester’s Spetchley Road are pleading with council workers to stop parking their cars in their streets – saying it is endangering lives.

There are 2,300 staff who work at the county council’s County Hall headquarters, but fewer than 800 on-site parking spaces.

The number of employees based at the headquarters has rocketed by 43 per cent since January, when it was 1,600, due to workers relocating to the site from other offices.

Councillors and nearby residents say they are becoming increasingly frustrated about commuters parking in nearby residential roads, including Kilbury Drive and Spetchley Road.

The county council says it is ‘monitoring’ the situation, but it is being urged to come up with a solution to the problem.

Councillor Richard Boorn, who represents the area on the city council, says it makes Spetchley Road much more dangerous for pedestrians trying to cross in between cars.

The road has a high number of pedestrians as it is home to Nunnery Wood high School and Worcester Sixth Form College. “The number of parking spaces being provided at County Hall is not even close to what is needed, “ he said.

“It’s been like this for a while now and it means residents have to put up with all these cars parked in Spetchley Road and the Kilbury estate.

“The county council has totally failed to address it – to me, it’s a terrible neighbour which blights the lives of the local population and risks the lives of school children crossing the road.”

Paul Dixon, aged 51, of Kilbury Drive, said: “It seems to be getting worse and worse and people are fed up with it.

“If you drive down Spetchley Road there’s a sea of cars along it – and you can’t see people as they are about to cross. “Then there’s Kilbury Drive itself. The entire area is becoming a car park.”

The council says workers are encouraged to use public transport and car-sharing is also actively promoted as an option.

There are 682 spaces at County Hall, and another 96 reserved in a section of Worcester Woods Country Park during term time only as an alternative option for staff.

Employees can park on-site for up to four days per week, or if they live within two kilometres of County Hall, just three days.

Coun John Campion, cabinet member for transformation and commissioning said: “The council is consolidating its operations onto fewer sites, reducing costs and focusing on the delivery of frontline services.

“Our flexible and mobile working policy means that the majority of staff regularly work from home or from other locations away from County Hall. “We are monitoring the situation and will take any appropriate action.”