RESIDENTS want parking restrictions along their whole road to stop penny-pinching town centre workers blocking them in.

People in Long Riding, Basildon, are fed up with nonresidents hogging parking spaces outside their homes.

Half of the road, closer to the town centre, already has residents’ parking and there are now calls to introduce the scheme along all of Long Riding.

Residents between the junctions of Southenhay and Priors East have to pay for permits, while those in the rest of the road have to fight for sought after parking spaces.

Jo Johnson, 78, pays £50 a month to rent a garage, but is often unable to use it.

She said: “There is a real problem with parking. We have a garage, but nine times out of ten we can’t get our car in or out because people are blocking us in.

“When people come to visit us, they have an absolute nightmare getting parked.

“A lot of people work in the town centre, but rather than pay to use the car parks they use the roads instead.

“Most families have two or three cars and the town wasn’t designed for that.”

Neighbour Erin Dimmock, 31, extended her driveway so it would take two cars.

She said: “We made the driveway bigger so we didn’t have to park on the road. For people who don’t have a driveway, I know it’s a real issue.

“Now it is a problem because parked cars are in our way when we try to reverse off the drive, so it can be really annoying.

“Permits or restrictions would stop people who aren’t residents parking on the road, so it would be a big improvement.”

Phil and Pat Rackley, Independent Labour councillors for St Martins ward, are calling on the South Essex Parking Partnership to roll out the permit scheme along the length of Long Riding.

Mrs Rackley said: “Parking is a nightmare for residents.

Something needs to be done.

“It seems silly having a residents’ parking scheme for one half of the road, but not the other.

“I’m sure it has made things worse for those who don’t live in the permit zone.”