PEOPLE living near Bridgwater College say they are fed up with students parking on their road.

Bridgwater College has its own on-site car park with nearly 700 spaces, but people living in Fairfax Road say students regularly park there instead, and they fear things will get worse when the college's new Energy Skills Centre is built.

Although there are no parking restrictions on Fairfax Road, residents say some students have parked in front of their drives, and have been verbally abusive when asked to move.

Window cleaner Kevin Gamblin said: “It's a day-to-day problem. They use the back entrance to the college so park up outside our houses, which is a nightmare when I bring my ladders home.

“They just drop litter from their cars, and the verbal abuse I get off some of them is awful.”

Jolene Staples added: “I have had enough of having to carry my two-year-old son and bags of shopping half a mile down the road because of the parking.”

A college spokesman said there were 679 spaces on site, with additional spaces rented from the town's football and rugby clubs, which were “more than sufficient to meet the parking requirements”.

The spokesman said: “Staff and students are strongly encouraged to use the on-site car parks or either of the overflow parking areas and not to park in local streets, although we cannot force people not to as it is not illegal.”

Additionally, 50 parking spaces, 32 new bike rack spaces and a dedicated moped/motorbike parking area will be created as part of the new Energy Skills Centre.