Social mediashames selfishRye parkers

A new Facebook campaign ‘Parking Like A Muppet in Rye’ has netted more than 1,000 supporters in the space of a week.

The Facebook page encourages people to snap pictures of badly parked vehicles and upload them.

Already it is full of images of cars parked on footpaths and ignoring double yellow lines.

One image shows a motorcycle parked right in the middle of a footpath near Strand Quay and another a car parked in the middle of a bus-stop.

It remains a mystery as to who is behind the Facebook page but one Rye resident contacted the Observer to say: “It has really shaken up the town and got people talking.”

Bad parking has become a major issue in Rye and took centre stage at this year’s Annual Town Meeting in March, where it was described as “dangerous, irresponsible and criminal”.

There is a lack of parking enforcement in the town with police saying they are unable to make it a priority and Rye having no traffic warning.

Last year there were two instances of fire engines responding to calls being blocked by illegally parked vehicles in the Rye Citadel area.

Resident John Holbrook said: “In the High Street there were five cars parked on the pavement near the Nat West Bank so close to the wall that pedestrians could not get through.

“It is happening repeatedly and pavements are getting damaged.

“There was one car that parked for three days in a one hour space. There is no enforcement at all.”

Andy Stuart said: “Illegal parking is not just anti-social behaviour - it is criminal activity, so why is it not being dealt with by police?

“It is putting parents with children at risk. It means disabled people cannot access West Street. It is a major flouting of the law.”

Rye Mayor Bernardine Fiddimore said: “It is dangerous and irresponsible.”