A BUS had to miss one of its stops because of bad parking, leaving a village without its service.

Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire said that it was unable to serve the village of Braithwaite on Saturday, October 9, due to "inconsiderate parking".

Cumbria County Councillor for Keswick, Tony Lywood, who said there was a need to react "pretty quickly" to the mounting pressure that parking and services are under, has been in touch with council enforcement officers about issuing fixed-penalty notices.

"The temporary suspension of the Braithwaite Stagecoach bus service today due to inconsiderate parking in the area is a very worrying trend," said Cllr Lywood.

"There were pretty much the same issues over the summer in Borrowdale and Watendlath where, at times, the road was only open to one-way traffic.

"Tourism is the economic lifeblood of the Lake District National Park and we welcome all our visitors.

"Having said that, it is incumbent on all our visitors to realise that there is a local population and a community that needs to be respected.

"I only ask that our visitors treat this area with the same respect as they would their own. Parking where it is convenient for them may be very convenient for we who live here.

"Inconsiderate and obstructive parking should not be tolerated and to that end, with the help of Cllr Keith Little, the Highways Portfolio Holder, Cumbria County Council enforcement officers have been asked to focus particularly on Braithwaite and issue fixed-penalty notices where necessary.

"In addition, I will be asking the Highways Department to look at an emergency Traffic Regulation Order and work with Stagecoach if this situation continues.

"Disruption of a bus service is inconvenient, but the same would apply to a fire engine or ambulance where the consequences could be much more serious.

"Recently we had a double house fire in Keswick and if the road had been obstructed, I dread to think of the consequences."

Allerdale Borough Councillor for Keswick, Markus Campbell-Savours, also expressed concern over the disruption of public transport in the area due to poor parking.

He said: "Whether it's homes becoming holiday lets or the closure of facilities that meet the needs of local people, yet again we see the community lose out in the battle with tourism.

"Keswick's Labour councillors are calling on the council to urgently introduce an emergency traffic order to avoid disruption to this vital service for Braithwaite."