A WEEKEND parking crisis is feared by residents of Keep Hill Road after footballers using The Rye were advised to park in the street.

Danny Hazell, who plays for a football team in Thame, travelled to Wycombe on Saturday, September 24, for a game on The Rye and parked in the recently redeveloped Holywell Mead car park in Bassetsbury Lane.

His wife came to park there later in the day and, finding no available spaces, parked alongside Mr Hazell's car.

On her return to the car park she discovered she had been issued with a £60 fine for not parking in an allocated space.

Mr Hazell said: "I rang up the council to pay the fine and I asked where they suggested I should park. I was told we could park in Keep Hill Road, but I don't think the residents there would be very happy."

Residents in Keep Hill Road have already identified a weekend parking problem since charges for parking began in the Holywell Mead car park.

John Osbourne, the Neighbourhood Watch coordinator for Keep Hill Road and member of the residents' association, said he has noticed more cars parking in the road in recent weeks.

He said: "I think it is a real problem. We have more cars parking here now that they have to pay for the car park. Sometimes cars park on both sides and then it is quite difficult to get through. I would like to see a yellow line painted here."

A Wycombe District Council spokesman said the parking shortage was due to an overflow section of the Holywell Mead car park being closed.

The spokesman said: "It has been top soiled and seeded as part of the car park refurbishment project and is unable to take heavy traffic. We are hopeful that this will be reopened next year.

"Although street parking is legal under the Highway Code, we would usually advise members of the public looking to visit The Rye to park at Railway Place and to walk across. Clearly, another option is to car share with members of their team to reduce the number of car parking spaces required."