PEOPLE are dumping their cars along a residential street to go on holiday for two weeks.

The problem has become so bad that those living on the street are unable to have visitors because other people are leaving their cars on the road all day.

Ted Tite from Thrift Mead Road in Theydon Bois said: "They park up on the pavement on a bad day so they can leave their car and go to work. I have had people come to see me and turn around and go home because there's nowhere to park."

Many pensioners and disabled people live along the road, which is the closest residential street to the tube station, but no parking restrictions are in place.

Barbara McCartney said: "We get a lot of ambulances come down here because of the doctors surgery and sometimes they can't get through.

"This time of the year we see people park up and get out with suitcases and go on holiday. Their car can be there for two weeks sometimes.

"Many of the people who live around here are old or disabled and rely on visitors to help them out with things. What are they meant to do when there's nowhere to park?"

Her husband Mick said: "We were promised that restrictions would be put down by early September last year and now it's summer and still nothing has been done. We need resident permits to sort the problem out.

"It's ridiculous that there are no restrictions when we are so close to the station. We are coming up to the holiday period now, and we expect to see people dumping their cars here and going away for a few weeks. It's so frustrating because there is no where else to park."

A spokesman for Essex County Council said officers had been in discussion with residents to find a solution to the problem.

He added: "A consultation on proposals to include certain restrictions such as 'no waiting at any time' and an 11am to 12pm restriction in certain parts of Thrift Mead Road will be announced shortly."

But Mr McCartney said a one hour restriction is no good.

He added: "We would have to move our cars during that hour. What are we meant to do with our cars for that hour? No one has come to speak to us about this."