Parking chaos in UK village as drivers dump cars to avoid airport charges

Residents in the village of Takely have hit back after claiming holidaymakers are stopping in front of driveways to avoid Stansted Airport fees. Takley is the closest village to the popular airport, situated just over one mile and four minutes by car from the main terminal.

The village is served by the X20 airlink and a range of local buses, which often reach the airport in just six minutes. With Stansted Airport parking starting from around £59.99 for four days, it’s clear that holidaymakers have been looking for cheaper alternatives. However, Bill Collinson, a resident of Takley, stressed that the increase in parking was making the area dangerous for locals.

He even suggested some holidaymakers had resorted to stopping in front of driveways, preventing locals from leaving their houses.

He explained: "This has been going on for 10 years – people parking in front of driveways, blocking people in. It’s disgraceful.

“Someone should come along with a flatbed, pick them up and get rid of them. It’s dangerous.

“The front of my car was almost hit the other day when I was pulling out because I just couldn’t see. You see them leaving their car behind and walking up the road with their suitcases.”

Local councils are understood to be looking into a range of traffic measures to take control of the situation.

This could include the establishment of controlled parking zones, clearways and red routes as well as a resident parking permit scheme to prevent non-locals from stopping.

Barbie Wilkes, who has lived in Takeley for all of her life, even suggested some local residents had been “spat at” by holidaymakers.

She said: “We have been screamed at, shouted at and spat at. It is getting to the stage where something bad is going to happen. We used to ask people politely, but we stopped since people started to shout abuse at us.

“One neighbour, who was pregnant, was struggling to get out of her car. She had been blocked in by someone and when her partner asked them to move the car, they threw rubbish on the road.”

Online, Stansted Airport accepted they were aware of the issue with action already being taken by local authorities to solve the issue.

They said: "We recognise that there is off-site fly parking activity associated with the operation of Stansted airport.

“Essex County Council has already introduced measures to prevent fly parking in Takeley but, in addition, the Stansted Area Transport Forum commit funding and resource to tackle the issues of off-airport car parking and fly parking in local communities.”

Express.co.uk have contacted Stansted Airport for comment.