It is very clear that one of the biggest concerns to Parishioners in Lydford on Fosse is the frequent blocking of the pavement along the A37, forcing pedestrians – including those with walking frames, pushchairs and dogs on leads – into a road which already has a speeding problem, unnecessarily putting lives at risk. 

This has been a growing problem for over 20-years, and we are determined to find a way to resolve it once-and-for-all. The best short-term answer is persuading the police to take action and there are longer term options that we can also pursue through sponsoring new traffic orders. 

But these will only succeed if we have a significant body of evidence to demonstrate the extent of the current problem. We are therefore asking everyone to meticulously record ALL pavement parking on the A37. Please take pictures of the parking and then submit a report in the following way:

Submitting a report of Pavement Parking to Avon & Somerset Police: 

1. Go to https://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/forms/gef.
2. If you get re-directed to confirm your cookie settings, select ‘Home’ and then ‘Report’.
3. The first category on the Report page is ‘Vehicles and roads’. Scroll down the list of problems to ‘Parking issues or abandoned vehicles’ and select this.
4. The next page is an information page explaining what are Council and what are police responsibilities. Under ‘Police Responsibilities’, you will see that ‘blocking a road or pavement which causes pedestrians to enter the road’ is a police responsibility, so you are in the right place. There is also an advisory section that says the police can only act where the obstruction or hazard is in Avon & Somerset (which Lydford on Fosse is, of course).
5. The website also asks that you make sure that you have as many details as possible, including the obstructing vehicle’s:
   • Registration Number
   • Make & Model
   • Colour
     • Location

If it is safe to do so, you should take pictures of the obstruction. These can be uploaded to the police website after you make your report (if requested) and may also help you to confirm some of the details that are required.

6. Towards the bottom of the same webpage, under the heading ‘Reporting a vehicle causing an obstruction or hazard’, there is a link to an online form to report the obstruction. Alternatively, it explains you can report the obstruction in person at your local police station. 
7. Select the link if you are happy to report the hazard online. This will take you through a series of questions in order to get you to the right form to submit:
   • Are you reporting an emergency that is happening now or is someone in danger ? Select ‘No’, unless you believe that someone is at immediate risk of harm.
   • Is the vehicle causing an obstruction or hazard in the Avon and Somerset force area ? Select ‘Yes’.
   • Has the vehicle been abandoned in a safe position ? Select ‘No’.
   • Is the vehicle parked on double yellow lines, a single yellow line (outside of the permitted hours), or a red line ? Select ‘No’.
   • Is the vehicle parked near a school entrance with mandatory school keep clear markings ? Select ‘No’.
   • Is the vehicle parked in a bus stop, taxi bay, cycle or bus lane, or in a space for a Blue Badge holder ? Select ‘No’.
   • Is the vehicle parked on zig-zag lines or other pedestrian crossings ? Select ‘No’.
   • Is the vehicle parked over a dropped kerb ? Select ‘Yes’ or ‘No’, as appropriate.
     – If you answer ‘Yes’, you will be taken directly to the page to start ‘Reporting an obstruction or hazard in the road’.
     – If you answer ‘No’, you will be asked ’Is the vehicle blocking a road or pavement and causing pedestrians to enter the road?’ Select ‘Yes’ and you will be taken to the page to start Reporting an obstruction or hazard in the road.

8. Select ‘Start now’.
9. Enter the address/location of the offence, starting with the postcode if you have it. Once you have selected ‘Continue’, you will be asked whether this is your address – unless it is, select ‘No’ and then ‘Continue’, and you will be taken to a page to enter your own address. Complete this page and select ‘Continue’.
10. Enter your personal details (name, date of birth, etc), as requested, then select ‘Continue’.
11. Enter your contact information (phone number, email address, and preferred time to be contacted). Select ‘Continue’
12. You will be asked how many vehicles are involved ? Provide the number of vehicles that are parked on the pavement and obstructing pedestrians, and then select ‘Continue’.
13. Enter the vehicle(s) registration, make, model (if you can) and colour, the select ‘Continue’.
14. Provide the date & time the vehicle arrived; if you don’t know, give an estimate based on when you first observed the obstruction. Then select ‘Continue’.
15. The next page asks How is the vehicle causing an obstruction or hazard ? Tick all of the 5 boxes that apply, including “Blocking a road or pavement which causes pedestrians to enter the road”. The select ‘Continue’.
16. Confirm whether you have or have not reported this incident to the police before by ticking Yes or No. Then select ‘Continue’. If you answer ‘Yes’, you will be asked if you have the previous reference number (which should start with ‘AS’). If you can, provide this on the next webpage.
17. If you answer ‘No’, or when you have provided the details of the earlier report, you will be asked do you have evidence of this incident you could send to the police (at a later date, such as images to upload of the offending vehicle, its number plate, and showing the offence). Select ‘Yes’ or ‘No’, as appropriate.
18. You will then be asked to agree to Avon & Somerset Police using your data as stated in their privacy policy. If you are happy to do so, tick the box agreeing to this, and select ‘Continue’.
19. You are then offered the opportunity to ‘Submit’ your report.

Finally, we know that this may seem like a long and complex reporting procedure, but it is actually pretty straightforward once you become familiar with it, and the webpages seem to work equally well whether accessed from a phone, laptop or desktop. Once you have done it once, submitting reports will become much quicker and easier as you will already be familiar with the questions. So, please persevere and help the PC to build the case for action against pavement parking in our Parish.

A pdf copy of this guide can be downloaded on the Local Highways page