Tired residents near UK airport say ‘holidaymakers are ruining our village to save £6’ | United Kingdom | News
Villagers are ‘fed up’ with holidaymakers parking to avoid huge airport taxes (Image: SWNS)
Bristol Airport currently charges £6 just to drop off and collect passengers for up to ten minutes.
As a result, many abandon their cars in the nearby village of Felton to avoid penalties, infuriating residents.
Some villages now say they have been forced to take matters into their own hands – after holidaymakers were spotted parking on their driveways and littering the streets.
They have now had to put up signs to stop people parking in front of their homes to alleviate the problem.
And some have even started a trash collection group, where they collect more than 20 bags of trash every week.
Some cars were also reportedly damaged, with tires slashed and windshields destroyed.
Villagers said they were considering leaving Felton because the problem “is only getting worse.”
Mike Fuidge, 62, who has lived in Hill View Gardens for 11 years, is one of those residents — and he says cars often wake him up at 3 a.m.
He said: “We put up cones to stop people parking in front of the house and then some guys came and took everyone’s cones.
“A lot of cars actually have parking permits from where they live, so they should know that.
“Someone slashed tires a few years ago – I don’t know who it is. And then when people come back from vacation they have flat tires and then people come knocking on your door saying ‘is it -what did you do to my car?
“We think the person who was doing this has gotten arrested now, so now people realize they’re not going to damage their car anymore, so they come back and park here – and it’s worse now.”
Mr Fuidge added that bin and recycling collections have been missed on his street due to cars all over the road.
Residents of village near Bristol Airport say inconsiderate parking is a ‘threat’ to be dealt with (Image: Tom Wren / SWNS)
Marie Aldred, 49, who moved to the village three years ago, said holidaymakers don’t seem to “care about where they park their cars”.
She said they arrived early in the morning, causing “disruption” in the street.
“It’s embarrassing,” she said.
“They park in front of our house here, which makes it very difficult for residents to be able to use the road – because it’s a very narrow road and to be able to access the driveway.”
Noting altercations in the streets between residents and vacationers, Marie said residents were “fed up” that they and their families couldn’t park.
She added: “It’s been really difficult. I think the council should either use a permit system to park here or at least solve the problem. The airport is getting bigger, there are more people trying Parking without paying is a huge problem for people.
“I don’t have a problem with the airport. I don’t mind the planes. But the least they can do is help the residents so they don’t have this problem at their doorstep.”
Peter Cornish, 83 – who has lived at the property for 44 years – said it has been a “nightmare” as he is unable to park his car in his driveway and so people don’t park outside his property.
He said: “A couple parked their car and while they were gone someone deflated their tires and cut their brake lines.
“Luckily the guy found out before he drove the car, otherwise he could have been killed.
“The girl was crying and explained that friends had told them to park there.”
Darren Foskett. (Image: Tom Wren / SWNS)
Darren Foskett, 50, decided to do something about the problem: create “no parking” signs for his street.
To avoid this problem, Darren says he would like a residence permit.
He said: “It’s difficult to see up and down the road. It is difficult to exit this intersection – visibility is zero.
“It’s a nightmare. Use the airport facilities.
“Next to the village hall, they throw their trash out the windows.”
Due to the dirt and litter, Arlene Sharp, 56, alongside other community members, created the Felton Village Litter Picking Group.
They collect about 20 bags of trash, including empty bottles, cans and sandwich packets, but don’t just drop items off.
“Sometimes you find human feces in alleys. And it has toilet paper on it so you know it’s human,” she said.
“I am absolutely devastated. We know this is causing problems for wildlife.
“Someone parked their car there for two weeks and then they were dropped off in their taxi. They then put all the trash in the gutter.”
Since Dave Walker, 58, has lived in the village for two years, he said traffic and speeding have gotten worse.
He believes that speed bumps and residence permits would be a solution to this problem.
He added: “They’re looking for shortcuts and I think that’s the problem.”
Residents of village near Bristol Airport say inconsiderate parking is a ‘threat’ to be dealt with (Image: Tom Wren / SWNS)
A Bristol Airport spokesperson advised customers to use on-site car parks, which are equipped with CCTV and automatic number plate recognition, for “peace of mind”.
“We will always seek to work in partnership with our community to tackle nuisance parking and encourage anyone with concerns to contact us.
“We also encourage customers to use alternative means of transport to and from Bristol Airport.
“We provide free one-hour parking for pick-ups and drop-offs, with free bus transfers between the terminal and the car park.
“Alternatively, there are many direct bus and coach services linking the airport to Bristol, South West England and South Wales.
“Bristol Airport is building a new £60m public transport interchange and car park, which will be one of the largest coach/bus interchanges in our region when it will be completed next summer,” they added.
