A FRESH appeal to resolve residents' long-standing parking problems in an area of Bargoed has been lodged with Caerphilly council.

MP Wayne David has presented a petition to Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC), urging them to improve the parking situation for residents of Usk Road.

He said residents had "for some years" felt crowded out of their own street, unable to park outside their homes because Usk Road was full of cars belonging to people who worked nearby.

When Mr David previously approached the council last March, he said he had been told a borough-wide examination of parking was due to take place. The coronavirus pandemic, however, means this examination has not yet happened.

The MP has called on the council to help the Usk Road residents by making the nearby St Gwladys Church car park free for staff at certain local workplaces.

READ MORE:

A CCBC spokesman said council-owned car parks across the borough were currently free, and that the local authority would "undertake the necessary surveys" once coronavirus restrictions have been removed and parking levels returned to normal.

But Mr David told the Argus the council should put the matter "at the top of their list".

"The situation is extremely annoying for local people – they should be able to park outside or at least close to their homes," he said. "As things stand, often they cannot do this. There is a solution and the council needs to move on this."

CCBC councillor Dianne Price has also been working with residents on the matter and said she was "fully supportive" of their petition.

She told the Argus residents had been complaining about the problem "for years and years" but "to no avail".

She added: "I hope [CCBC] look at it favourably and give the residents what they want."