Parking enforcement call after 'madness' at Llanrhaeadr Waterfall
Parking 'madness' at a major beauty spot is leading to calls for strict enforcement from traffic wardens.
The bank holiday weekend saw the road to Llanrhaeadr Waterfall lined with cars – blocking passing places along the stretch.
Phil Facey, caretaker of the Pistyll Rhaeadr waterfall, said that it was time for the authorities to step in and provide proper parking enforcement along the road to the beauty spot – fining those who ignore the rules.
The narrow road to the site has a number of passing spaces, but throughout the weekend they have been taken up by parked vehicles leading to congestion and fears about access for emergency vehicles.
Mr Facey said the situation over the weekend had seen hundreds of vehicles parking along the road – which has been designated a 'clearway' meaning parking is not allowed and can result in a £70 fine.
More parking space has been opened up at the actual waterfall site, with Mr Facey saying they had added about 80 extra spaces to try to cope with the influx of visitors.
He has now urged Powys County Council to either adopt strict ticketing policies for cars parking illegally, or to introduce an automated system which would see people fined if they park along the road.
He said: "When you look at the road for two miles there's probably 200 cars parked in every single space you can.
"There are more cars parked illegally on that road than we have parked here, and every one of those passing spaces I guarantee you will be full to the brim."
He added: "The weak link is in the enforcement. They need to control the situation."
Mr Facey said they had managed to fit all the people in their car parks who had turned up, and had not turned anyone away – but large numbers of visitors to the site had parked along the road and walked up.
The situation has been met with considerable criticism from local residents on Facebook, with some calling for those parking illegally to have their cars towed away.
