Is Danesmoor Crescent Darlington the dirtiest area in town?

In a letter to all of the residents on the street Darlington Borough Council warned that 'further action' might be taken against those responsible for 'unauthorised verge parking'.

The issue has divided the crescent between those who think that the verges are being ruined by being parked on and those who don't want to block the street.

Pictures from the road yesterday (January 4) show churned-up grass and multiple cars defying the council.

Hannah Snowball believes that it is a good idea from the council but that it will be tricky in practice because of how narrow the road is.

She said: "I think it is a great idea that the council are making an effort to improve the look of our street.

"Some money needs to be spent fixing them. They haven't been tended to for five years.

"I understand why people park on them because it is a very narrow street.

"Hopefully if they spend the money repairing the verges it could work."

Catherine Slack, another resident on the road, described how unsurprised she was that people were 'upset' with the letter from the council.

She said: "I worry about how binmen will be able to get through the street if there are cars all over.

"They just won't be able to come down the street.

"I'm not surprised that people are upset. 

"People are always talking about cleaning up the grass.

"It's particularly bad further along near that tree, there is always mud there because nobody comes to clean it up."

One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, called on the council to come up with a more 'car-friendly' solution instead of the verges.

They said: "The grass verges are nice, but unfortunately they make the street very narrow which causes issues with parking.

"Most households have more than one car and many aren't able to use their drives or access their garages, resulting in both adjacent households having to park with one car on the curb and the other on the verge.

"Maybe it's time the council reconsidered the practicality of the verges and replaced them with something more car-friendly to fix a modern-day problem."

Another resident added: "It isn't the case that it is two or three cars that need to find somewhere else to park, it is one-half of the street."

The council haven't offered any practical solution to the fact that the street is very narrow and if people have to find somewhere else to park it just moves the problem to another street rather than solving it."

"It isn't as simple as being a case of wanting to park on the grass verges, it is simply a need to do so due to the design of the street. If everyone parked off the verges, it would block access to the street."

Another resident who wished to remain anonymous predicted that there would be lots of complaints about the policy.

They said: "If everybody just put two wheels on the verge it would be fine. 

"There will be a furore about this, there will be a lot of complaints. 

"We should all care about how the street looks. Looking after the verges is not a huge ask, just stay off the grass.

"A couple of wheels on the curb is fine to let the emergency services and other cars through."

The letter from Darlington Council reads: "It has come to our recent attention that the condition of the grass verges in your street has been seriously eroded and the reason for this is the constant use of the verge for parking.

"I write to remind you that unauthorised verge parking is not permitted as it causes unsightly damage to the grass, which is costly to repair and maintain and degrades the area. If off-street parking is available at your property, please use it to prevent congestion on the road.

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"The problem is now being closely monitored and should the situation continue, further action may be taken against those identified as being responsible."

A spokesperson said: "Our highways inspector has visited this area and found several deep ruts which will require repair work; this will be carried out in due course. Whilst it is not illegal to park on the verge, we urge motorists to park considerately and be aware of the damage that their vehicle can cause.

"This damage not only looks unsightly, but it could also cause a vehicle to get stuck in the mud. It also diverts much-needed resources and budget into fixing an issue that is preventable."