Frustration as parked cars delay resurfacing work

Devonshire Road in Ipswich was due to be resurfaced but, due to parked cars, teams were unable to carry out the work

Residents have been left frustrated after cars left parked on their road delayed resurfacing works.

Suffolk Highways had planned to resurface Devonshire Road in Ipswich, starting on 9 September.

But the work was postponed until 3 October after cars left parked on the road meant crews could not work, despite prior warning and cones blocking the parking spaces.

A spokesperson for Suffolk Highways said requests had been made to move vehicles in order to complete "essential highway maintenance uninterrupted".

But several people that live on the road said they believed the issue was caused by drivers using the road as a "free car park".

Nick Garnett believed it was not the residents who had left their cars parked on the road

Nick Garnett, 72, is one resident who believed drivers that did not live on the road had caused the issue.

"Because of the proximity to the docks and the town centre, it is used as a bit of free car park," he explained.

"About a month ago we had a letter around for all the residents to move their cars which the majority of them did.

"There were probably a dozen cars [left] in the street."

He added that the residents were "organised" and often supported each other.

The road was due to be closed for three days while crews resurfaced it

A woman who lived on the street and did not wish to be named said she believed people were not given enough warning in advance of the works.

"They only put [the cones] up within the day before or even the morning.. so people didn't have the opportunity to move their cars," she said.

"They did [try to close it] but the cars weren't moved.

"Because it's on-road parking, we don't know which car belongs to which house.

"Not everyone moved their car so they couldn't do it."

Kevin Hollock sympathised that parking in the area was "difficult" which added to the issue

Kevin Hollock, 51, explained parking on the street and in the area was a problem.

"It's difficult in these residential areas - they're really restrictive with the parking, where else do you park," he said.

"It's very difficult parking here all the time."

He added that he had not heard of parking restrictions being relaxed in the surrounding area to help with the issue.

Despite the road needing resurfacing, Mr Hollock believed Devonshire Road was "in fairly good condition compared to a lot [of roads]" in the town.

'Knock on impact'

Suffolk Highways said requests to move vehicles were made via resident letters while information signs and "no parking" cones were placed in the area.

It also shared news of the planned work on its social media channels.

"Unfortunately, some locations still often require a re-visit due to vehicles not being moved and can have a knock on impact on communicated dates for subsequent works elsewhere in Suffolk," a spokesperson said.

The Devonshire Road works have been rescheduled to take place between 08:00 and 16:30 BST on 3 October.

A diversion will be put in place and the council has asked people to move their vehicles from the 'no parking' zones beforehand.