When councils CAN take action

COUNCILS can fine motorists for kerb parking where vehicles are causing an obstruction, or if they leave their car next to yellow lines.

Local authorities can also use traffic regulation orders to ban pavement mounting in specific areas – but that takes a lot of time and red tape.

In London, councils have been fining pavement-parking drivers for 40 years.

Motorists are banned from leaving their cars on kerbs unless a London borough has given them permission.

The LGA is calling for the rest of England and Wales to follow suit.

The Highway Code states: “You must not park partially or wholly on the pavement in London and should not do so elsewhere unless signs permit it.

“Parking on the pavement can obstruct and seriously inconvenience pedestrians, people in wheelchairs or with visual impairments and people with prams or pushchairs.”

A spokesman for the AA suggested that the Highway Code guidance does give councils scope to deal with problem parking, including pavement parking.

A spokesman said: “The rule is there.

“At the moment councils have to balance that rule with pedestrians who need to access pavements, but they also have to be mindful of people’s requirement to park their cars near to where they live.”