SOUTHCOTE residents are up in arms because their street has been turned into a commuter car park.

For nearly four years Granville Road in Southcote has been used as an unofficial park-and-ride by commuters heading for town by bus and now staff at the Mini Cooper Reading dealership in Bath Road are also using the unrestricted area for parking their cars.

But neighbours say that means they cannot find spaces to park in front of their own homes and want Reading Borough Council to impose residents-only restrictions.

For Lee Matthews, a 42-year-old lorry driver who has lived there for 16 years, the last straw was when he called Mini Cooper Reading on Tuesday last week and asked them to move their vehicles.

He said: "It was thrown back in my face and I was told it was a public highway and they can park where they like. They don't care about residents and are using Granville Road as their staff car park.

"Next to my house is the old Edward Hughes Care Home, which is going to be demolished to make way for 60 flats, so my worry is that when construction starts there will be no parking for us at all."

Southcote councillor John Ennis has been helping residents campaign for parking restrictions, and said he was disappointed council staff have ruled out introducing permits, although they are now looking into the possibility of temporary parking restrictions.

He added: "I think permits are the only way this problem will be solved for the residents, so I am not happy about the current situation.

"My main concern is that parking restrictions won't go far enough and I will continue to campaign to make sure residents don't lose out."

A spokeswoman for Mini Cooper Reading said: "We are actively working with the local council and the community to manage the parking requirements until we move to our new bigger site in Reading later next year."