'I learned lesson about parking near beauty spot'

While taking part in Dry January, Chelsea Coltart visited places across the UK - swapping nightlife for fresh air

A woman who drove to the Peak District for a hike - only to return to her car to find it damaged and with a parking ticket - is warning others to learn from her mistakes.

Chelsea Coltart, 28, was visiting Mam Tor on 18 January to catch a glimpse of the sunrise, after seeing videos of the beauty spot on social media.

After completing a circular route, the marketing manager discovered the fine, along with the damaged car that had been parked in a no stopping zone.

"Following other cars on the day was probably my biggest regret and I'll never do that again," she added.

Chelsea found a parking fine on her windscreen and damage to the front of her car

Roads in the national park have recently been blighted by parking issues, including on 11 January when "around 200 cars" prevented gritting from taking place.

On Friday, calls were made to bring together MPs, councils and emergency services in order to tackle the problem.

Chelsea, from Milton Keynes, said she initially did not notice any clear signage when trying to find a space.

"I don't think there is enough guidance on where to park but... we've all passed our test and we should know the signs," she added.

Chelsea believes her car was damaged by a large vehicle trying to pass.

"They must have hit me from the front because the wheel was actually protruding. I got a quote for repairs and it was £2,000," she said.

Chelsea filmed the moment she found her damaged vehicle and posted the video to her TikTok channel.

A no stopping (clearway) sign near to where Chelsea parked can be seen in a video she filmed and shared on TikTok

"I was looking for a space from 07:30 - just going back and forth doing U-turns - and then parked where all the other cars were at 07:53 and then I got back at 12:30," she said.

"You couldn't park anywhere. Every car was up the side of the road. There were cars everywhere. It was awful to be honest."

According to the Highway Code, a clearway sign means no stopping.

While she admitted accidentally parking next to such a sign, Chelsea believes there is not enough parking provision at the beauty spot and accepts the "frustration" locals must feel.

"I think if places are becoming more popular, which, again is a Catch-22, they need more infrastructure in place such as car parks or more signage," she said.

"You don't want to build car parks and damage the natural environment, so it is such a hard balance."

Cars were parked on both sides of Winnats Pass, near Mam Tor, in the early hours of 18 January

Since Chelsea's £70 fine and original TikTok video - which has been viewed more than 2.4 million times and attracted more than 1,500 comments - she started to point people in the direction of nearby free parking in the national park.

Those posts prompted a response from Derbyshire Police's TikTok account, which asked Chelsea to report the incident and said the points she raised were "brilliant".

Chelsea reported the incident to police, which later said it could not investigate without further information.

Addressing some of the negative comments she received on the social media platform, Chelsea said: "I know emergency vehicles were able to get through, it's just bad parking.

"You go to a new place and get stick because it's your first time but you've got to start somewhere with everything.

"Everyone has their own struggles in life, you don't know what someone's going through.

"Social media, either way, you're always going to get hate. I do marketing for a living, I know what it's like. You've just got to do damage control."

Vehicles can be seen passing Chelsea's car in the video she shared on social media

A spokesperson for the Peak District National Park Authority said: "Dangerous or disruptive parking can affect not only those going about their business in the local area, but also restrict emergency services access or highways maintenance.

"Over 80 car parking locations comprising thousands of spaces are listed on the national park authority website including sat-nav postcodes and other navigation information such as What3Words."

A spokesperson for Derbyshire County Council added: "We continue to have our parking wardens out in those very popular areas which can experience parking issues, such as Mam Tor, seven days a week.

"Blocking roads causes issues for the emergency services, buses, bin lorries, gritting lorries and mountain rescue and we would appeal, yet again, for people to park considerately and in accordance with the highway code."

Derbyshire Police said it was continuing to work with local councils and partners to devise a long-term solution to the ongoing parking issues in the area.

A spokesperson said: "Most people do manage to park safely, but we have seen dangerous and irresponsible parking from some people in recent weeks, bringing roads to a standstill and hindering emergency services.

"If the parking spaces are full, parking your car dangerously is not an option."

Reflecting on her experience, Chelsea said she would do "a lot more research and be more considerate of the people that are living in the area".

"You know, if you don't plan, you plan to fail," she added.