27/04/2026
STOCKSBRIDGE & STANNINGTON NPT
**Long post alert**
Our team at Deepcar Police Station have the privilege of covering some of the most beautiful and picturesque countryside in the county. It’s precisely these qualities that attract so many visitors when the sun shines. An unfortunate by-product of this is the sheer number of vehicles parked on the roads that were simply not designed for it. The picture you see here was taken at Dam Flask Reservoir in Bradfield where we can see that vehicles parked on a blind bend are forcing cars into the path of oncoming traffic. This caused drivers to have to mount the curb to avoid collisions. There are several beauty spots and attractions in the area that suffer from this, which attracts dozens of reports to us. This manner of parking causes a clear obstruction to other road users and falls below what we would expect from a careful and competent driver. For this reason, several traffic offence reports have been submitted to the registered keepers of vehicles causing the obstruction. Our officers will continue to monitor the parking around the area and issue traffic offence reports where required.
We take no pleasure in this, and we want you to enjoy the countryside as much as we do. Some useful tips for visitors would be:
• Just because there are no double yellow lines at the side of the road or double white lines in the middle of the road, this doesn’t mean it’s safe to park. The Highway Code still applies.
• Do not park on, opposite, or within 10 metres (about 2 and a half car lengths) of a bend in the road or junction. This can cause unnecessary and sometimes dangerous obstructions to other road users, and for larger vehicles like busses, vehicles towing tailors, or tractors this can make the road impassable and lead to a complete blockage of the road.
• Do not park in front of gates that provide access to fields. Farmers need to be able to freely go about their business, work their land, and access livestock. This is especially important during the warmer weather as not all fields have ready access to water and farmers need to be able to take this into the fields on a regular basis.
• Do not park on the footpaths at the side of the road in such a way it forces wheelchair, and pushchair uses to have to walk in the road.
• Do not park where there are double white lines in the middle of the road, even if there is a broken line on your side of the road. These lines are painted on sections of the road where it would be too dangerous to cross over the centre line of the carriageway when driving. When a vehicle is parked where these lines are painted, it forces moving vehicles into the path of on-coming traffic where there is no clear view of the road ahead. This is particularly dangerous, and vehicles parked in these areas will not only be issued with a fine, but penalty points will also be applied to the driver’s licence.
• Please consider using public transport when traveling into the countryside. Not only does this ease the congestion, but it also means you can enjoy a pint or a glass of wine in the sunshine at one of the county pubs without arguing about who’s going to abstain and drive home.
I know to some this may seem a trivial matter, but all we ask is that you give some thought to where you leave you car so everyone can have full enjoyment of the countryside without any damage being caused or anyone coming to harm.
