A DISPUTE over parking has broken out after councillors voted to lock the gates on an unofficial car park.

Workers who parked on the hardstanding next to Byers Green football fields found themselves out in the cold when Spennymoor Town Council started locking the gates.

Councillors voted on Tuesday to only allow users of the football pitch or tennis court to park there.

Byers Green resident Cherry Hudson is furious at the decision, saying it forces people to park on the street.

"I think it's absolutely disgraceful. I don't know why they suddenly shut the gates. Locking these gates means that cars park on the road," she said.

"Byers Green has become a very dangerous place, particularly to children, with the amount of cars that are parked on the roads."

Terry Robson, Spennymoor Town Council Clerk said authorised key-holders who wanted to use the pitch could still use the area.

"People who want to get to the small toddler area can do so by going over the stile," he said.

"To say cars have to park on the street is a nonsense. That area of road is the end of a complete highway, and there are no cars parked there."