FURIOUS residents who had their longstanding right to park in spaces behind Trevelyan School taken away with just two weeks notice have watched in anger as the site degenerated into a rubbish strewn mess.

Residents living in St Leonard's Road whose homes back onto the parking area behind the school in Wood Close have been allowed by Trevelyan to use it for years.

Nicola Squires-Toovey is one of 15 or so car owners given a fortnight's notice and told they could not use it any more.

She said: "I am now having to digest the fact that I may have to move again because I work shifts and weekends and depend on my car.

"If I'm unable to park near my house I feel that I may have no other option.

"The fact that there is no discussion with the residents is shocking."

Victoria Squires who also used the car park says an elderly couple in the road will be particularly badly affected as the man has arthritis and needs his car nearby.

To add to the confusion the gates to the car park have now been broken and members of the public are parking there without permission in what has become a free for all. Ms Squires said: "It is appalling. One man has even flytipped there and nothing is being done."

This week Cllr Phill Bicknell, the Royal Borough's lead member for highways, said he was in discussion with the Pioneer Education Trust that now runs Trevelyan school about the car park's future.

He said the trust had inherited the car park when it took over the running of the school from the Royal Borough.

He said: "Then the gates were broken down and it would have run into thousands of pounds to repair them. The trust needed to spend that money on education."

He said he was now in discussion with his highways officer about the authority possibly taking back responsibility for the car park and hopefully turning it into a public parking space that would benefit everybody including the residents who used to use it.