Wirral News Letters – February 24

Feb 24 2010 by Lorna Hughes, Birkenhead News

Parking is “not a right”

I HAVE noticed from the letters page that a number of people are under the mistaken view that they have a legal right to park anywhere on the highway that has no restriction.

This is not so: the Highways Act 1835 Section 78 [sic] makes it an offence to cause an obstruction by simply parking on the highway itself.

This law is not frequently used but can be if the CSOs wish to do so and the News has in fact reported such incidents in the past.

All I can say to anyone who thinks that the highway is a parking place; think again. You can be prosecuted and fined.

I have no axe to grind in respect of Wallasey parking as I live in Hoylake but I just wish to let everyone know that parking is discretionary and not a right.

J IRWIN

via e-mail

Obstruction

RE “Stop Writing” (Letters, February 17) and the comment made that “they have a legal right to park their vehicle anywhere on the highway that has no restrictions” – nobody has that legal right.

The law is that any vehicle parked on the highway is causing an obstruction, I know this because I was fined for parking my car in a road with no waiting restrictions and no yellow lines, the width of the road was 25 feet.

The reason I was fined along with many other motorists, was because a resident became fed up with motorists parking outside her house and she complained to the police.

I contested this in court with the other motorists who were also booked, we also pleaded not guilty, but it was proved by reading the obstruction act from many years ago.

This resident was not very popular with the rest of her neighbours in that road because they were also fined, for parking outside their own home as they had done for many years, so be very careful about parking your car anywhere on the highway, because this law can be applied.

NAME SUPPLIED

via e-mail

Nothing works

I TOTALLY agree with Susan Riddiough’s letter about cats and them fouling people’s gardens. I don’t know how to stop them, even having my front garden paved except for about six inches all round for drainage hasn’t stopped them.

I don’t know why they call them pets when they’re never in their houses. I’ve tried all kinds of things but none have worked and would love to hear any ideas to deter them.

V EDWARDS

Wallasey

Inconsiderate

I WHOLEHEARTEDLY agree with Susan Riddiough re: “Cats are pests”.

I am constantly having to clean the path outside my home due to dog fouling, also on my garden.

Cats have dug up my spring bulbs and ruined my rockery. I wish I could find the owners of these animals so I could put it in their gardens and footpaths.

I love animals but hate their inconsiderate owners.

CAROLINE WILLIAMS

Greasby

More for kids

AS a parent of teenagers I think it is a disgrace this council does not provide anything for the kids to do in the Wallasey area.

We need a complex built in the New Brighton area. There is plenty of space, especially where the old outdoor pool was.

If they had a complex people would feel safe to go out more, and the kids would not hang around on the streets. Plus there is a church building by St Luke’s Church doing nothing.

MR K DODD

Seacombe