ON-STREET parking in parts of Warndon Villages is so bad residents fear people will die because emergency vehicles cannot get past.

Many of the roads at the southern end of the Villages are congested during the day because employees of nearby businesses and Worcestershire Royal Hospital take advantage of free parking.

Homeowners say their lives are being made a misery as what were once peaceful side streets are turned into "swathes of cars."

About 10 residents took their anger to Warndon Parish Council on Monday night.

John Crocker, of Aconbury Close, said ambulances could not drive up his street.

He said: "I have diabetes and when I fell into a coma I had to be carried down the road on a stretcher. We don't need this stress."

David Eastwood, a member of Warndon Parish Council, said: "One day there's going to be some deaths on this estate because the fire brigade just can't get in and out."

James Lewis, a resident of Nightingale Avenue, said: "It's the same every morning Monday to Friday.

"We shouldn't have to drive across the pavement just to get out of our own house."

One of his neighbours told the meeting: "What used to be a nice green is now a swathe of cars.

"To add insult to injury they turn round in our drive. We are fed up to the back teeth." Nightingale Avenue, Dugdale Drive, and Aconbury are among the streets worst affected.

Councillors are particularly worried because plans for a new business park off Newtown Road will increase the number of cars further.

Worcester City Councillor Lucy Hodgson said a meeting of the authority's transport committee would discuss bringing in parking restrictions and blamed companies in the area as well as hospital staff.

She said: "We are not ignoring this issue. The companies have got to start getting their acts together.

"By simply putting down double yellow lines the problem could just be displaced, companies have got to discipline staff if they don't park in the right places.

"The people who park there are becoming selfish and they can't see what harm they are doing."

She said a single yellow line with time restrictions was being considered but would take about four months to implement.