PEOPLE living in neighbouring streets in a Worcester housing estate are divided over plans for double yellow lines outside their homes.

Residents of Nightingale Avenue in Warndon Villages, Worcester, have been calling for restrictions for more than two years to stop people from nearby businesses parking their cars outside their houses.

After a lengthy public consultation by the Highways Partnership of the city and county councils, officers suggested putting down double yellow lines over a wide area to prevent the problem simply moving elsewhere.

But residents in the other streets, where there has never been a problem, say they do not want such restrictions and have organised a petition which now has more than 100 signaturies.

Andrea Bedwell, of Hoskyn's Avenue, said she was not at war with neighbours in other streets, but wanted a solution to suit everybody.

She said: "We're not saying we don't want any restrictions but double yellow lines would be really excessive.

"Have they thought through the consequences? They would devalue the properties, visitors wouldn't be able to park outside. I wouldn't even be able to wash my car outside my house.

"If we wanted the restrictions of living in a city we'd live in one.

"If people in Nightingale want double yellow lines, fair enough, but don't impose that on the rest of us."

But people from Nightingale Avenue, who have frequently made their voices heard at Warndon Parish Council, said they were desperate for parking restrictions and people in other streets would be making a mistake to oppose them.

They say their street is clogged all day long with parked cars and there is no room for residents to get into their own drives and no access for emergency vehicles.

One resident said: "If we had Latin blood in us, if we were French, we would have barricaded our street ages ago and perhaps something would have been done because it is affecting our lives so much."

Another said: "We're not interested in the fact that others don't want it. Just don't do their streets."

The area's county councillor, Martin Clarke, said the authority could not just consider one road but had to look at the bigger picture to avoid the "displacement" of vehicles.

He said: "The officers will look at the area as a whole and make a proposal based on the overall area. They believe it is necessary to extend the restrictions that far because people will walk quite a distance after parking their cars and other areas should benefit from the restrictions."