Locals at war with school run parents take photos of worst culprits

Furious locals at war with parents who block their cul-de-sac on the school run have started taking photos of the worst culprits – and sending them to police

• Residents of Lon Derw, Bridgend, are sending photos of offending cars to police
• READ MORE: Video captures moment FIGHT breaks out at the school gates

Furious homeowners at war with parents who clog up their cul-de-sac during the school run have started taking photos of the worst culprits and sending the photos to the police.

Lon Derw, a quiet street in Bridgend, South Wales, becomes a warzone at 3pm every weekday as parents mount kerbs and block driveways with their cars to pick up kids from Brynmenyn Primary School, which sits opposite.

Irritated homeowners have started using their mobiles to take snaps of the offending vehicles, which they say are stopping them from leaving – and could be obstructing access to a care home. 

Tensions have been brewing between residents and parents for more than a year; in 2022, locals blocked the street with garden furniture in a bid to deter motorists from trying to drive in.

And matters escalated earlier this week as two women – believed to be a resident and a parent – almost came to blows, yelling at each other in the street before being separated.

Residents have started taking photos of cars on pavements and blocking roads in Lon Derw in Bridgend, Wales – with parents parking across markings that read: ‘Keep Clear’

Some feckless drivers are blocking the pavements altogether with their cars come 3pm

Others are simply parking in the middle of the road – potentially blocking residents from leaving the street (pictured: a row of cars blocking the street)

Tensions have been brewing in Lon Derw, Bridgend for more than a year as parents continue to frustrate local residents 

In some cases, school run parents are blocking entire parts of the street (as seen above)

Others are mounting the pavements, potentially blocking access for pedestrians while they wait to pick up their children

Photos of the alleged offenders have been sent to police and council officials – with residents admitting that they often take the pictures from behind their curtains because they are afraid of being confronted.

Some of the cars are clearly parking in areas marked ‘keep clear’ because of their proximity to the school. 

One young mum said: ‘The parents on the school run say they just want to pick their kids up safely every day.

‘But they are compromising the safety of people living on our small estate.

READ MORE: Chaos at the school gates: Video captures moment FIGHT breaks out in ugly scenes as furious locals block their driveways with chairs to stop parents parking outside their homes 

‘You can’t get in or out during the school run – it’s especially bad in the afternoons when they turn up early and wait in their cars.’

Managers at the old people’s home say they are extremely worried that an ambulance would not be able to get in if one of the 45 residents collapsed.

But despite the pleas to park safely parents are still leaving their cars in the cul-de-sac opposite the 200-pupil school.

A mum who parked her car half on the pavement told MailOnline: ‘There are no double yellow lines so I’m parked legally.

‘I sympathise with the residents but I’m only there for 10 minutes while I pick my little one up.

‘There is a car park next to the school, why can’t they open that up for mums and dads on the school run?’

The car park belongs to the local comprehensive school where lessons finish at 3pm every day – 30 minutes before closing time at the primary school.

Residents on Lon Derw have pleaded with Bridgend Council to open up the car park for an extra 30 minutes to give parents somewhere to park.

Independent councillor Tim Thomas said: ‘The comprehensive school car park is one option being explored but there was concern it might add to the congestion.

‘I organised a meeting for all parties to sort it out, the parents, residents, the school and police but we are no closer to a solution.

‘We have to find a balance between the safety of pupils and the safety of people in the community.’

Earlier this week, video footage was captured of a fight breaking out between what was believed to be a local resident and a parent on the school run.

The women were filmed being prised apart by three men as tempers flared in the quiet cul-de-sac on Tuesday at pick-up time.

Tensions have been brewing for over a year – with residents blocking the road with garden chairs in a bid to stop parents from driving down their street 

And the dispute reached a new peak as a fight threatened to break out between two women – believed to be a local resident and a parent – earlier this week 

A number of men had to step in to split the group up amid the fight, thought to be about parking in the street on the school run

The dispute revolves around the nearby Brynmenyn Primary School, which has 200 pupils

The disputed parking area in Lon Derw, next to the primary school (right of image)

One witness said: ‘It’s not the first fight and it won’t be the last – it’s got worse since the kids went back to school.

‘I can see it from both sides, the parents want to pick their children up safely from school but the residents are fed up of being blocked in by inconsiderate parking.’

The biggest trouble spot is right outside an old people’s home where the manager fears there will be a tragedy because emergency services can’t get through.

READ MORE: Police patrol quiet cul-de-sac that has become warzone at school pick-up time after fed-up locals set up human barricades to stop parents parking outside their homes 

Trudy Davis, service manager at the home run by housing association Inc Cymru, said: ‘There are certain times of the day when we couldn’t get an ambulance to one of our residents if we needed to.

‘We have 45 elderly people living here – the eldest is 97 but for five days a week the home is blocked off twice a day during the school run.

‘Emergency services need to have access 24-hours a day – this is a serious concern.

‘We’ve put up signs but people don’t adhere to them – the police are very much on our side but the problem continues.’

Residents of the 19 houses in the cul-de-sac are struggling to get the law on their side because the small estate has no double yellow lines.

But a deckchair protest last year, which saw residents block the road with garden furniture, highlighted the issue – and for a while appeared to deter parents from parking irresponsibly. 

Father-of-four Mal Harris, who lives close to the entrance of the cul-de-sac, previously told MailOnline: ‘The deckchair protest worked – it brought a lot of attention to the problem and things calmed down.

‘But it’s got worse since the kids went back to school and I’ve asked the police to patrol the area, especially in the afternoon when parents arrive at the same time to collect their children.

‘Tempers have got frayed again and we are starting to get incidents like we’ve seen today.’

Bridgend Council tried to solve the problem by creating parking bays around the schools and issuing parking permits – but locals say this didn’t stop parents from parking outside their homes regardless.

In 2022, fed-up parents staged a protest with garden furniture in the street in a bid to stop inconsiderate parents from blocking up the roads 

The new school term has reignited the feud, with police being called in to patrol the cul-de-sac and move parents on

Mal Harris, who lives on the street next to the school, said neighbours had been dealing with the issue since he moved to the 19-house estate in 2018 and it hasn’t improved at all

One homeowner said the inconsiderate parking had caused them to consider moving in order to get away from the issue

Mr Harris, a bodyguard, said one solution would be to use a large car park outside the adjoining comprehensive school as a drop-off and pick-up spot.

He added: ‘That would be an easy way to resolve it but the council won’t do it.

‘People living here are frustrated at the high volume of traffic but parents coming here twice a day are only concerned about the safety of their children. There has to be an answer.’

One homeowner said the inconsiderate parking had caused them to consider moving in order to get away from the problem.

They said: ‘We have this constant feeling of being watched, and while we feel for parents as they have to park somewhere, there are also cases where there is a complete lack of respect – with people lining the streets, blocking cars in their drives, and generally parking however they want.’

Bridgend County Borough Council (BCBC) has sought to remind parents that other options are available to pupils – including walking and cycling. 

An authority spokesperson said earlier this week: ‘If any vehicle causes an obstruction by parking inconsiderately on a public highway, it should be reported to South Wales Police so officers can assess whether an obstruction has occurred.

‘Safety is paramount and there are parking restrictions on the access road to the school to assist with road safety and to facilitate access to residential properties in the area.

‘Civil parking enforcement officers, who are employed by BCBC, also patrol this area and enforce parking restrictions where appropriate.

‘We would like to remind parents/carers that alternative options are available including active travel routes which offer safe access to and from the school.’

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