Ashby councillors have raised concerns over 'self-inflicted' parking congestion in Market Street as cars top on the side of the road to allow people to pick up takeaways.

Monday's meeting of Ashby de la Zouch Town Council's planning committee discussed the situation which often means that two sets of vehicles cannot get past at the same time.

The council is now to consider asking Leicestershire County Council Highways to remove the extra parking spaces in Market Street which have been causing traffic problems - particularly in the evenings.

The additional spaces were provided outside the Fish Inn chip shop.

But councillors said that cars parking there can contribute to a 'bottleneck' at the end of the road, close to the junction with Lower Church Street.

However, it was later pointed out to the committee that the owner of the chip shop paid to have the spaces put outside the business.

Committee chair, Cllr Dave Bigby, said that the council had previously supported the introduction of the parking spaces and the request from the owners of the chip shop - but that it had not worked.

Cllr Pejman Zamani said: "We have congestion causing a bottleneck outside the fish bar.

"People park on the other side as well as the legal four spaces parking.

"So you can't get a bus and a van through at the same time.

"Once you get past, it's clear. But as you approach, it gets narrower and narrower. There can be seven or eight cars parked there. It's something to consider."

Cllr Murrae Blair-Park added: "It's happening at around six in the evening where people just pull up on the left hand side for takeaways.

"It's a self-inflicted congestion. There won't be a traffic warden out on a Friday evening giving tickets out.

"Those four parking spaces have made it worse.

"People are also parking more on the left hand side more than I can remember.

"It's encouraging that behaviour. Suddenly, you can't get through.

"People tend to park in the spaces, then go for an hour or two to get a bite to eat. Before, when it was double yellow lines, they were in and out, then gone.

"We've created some longer term parking, the attitude is they can park there anyway now.

"I don't want to make it difficult for people to use Market Street, but those four spaces have driven people to use the other side of the road as well."

Cllr Blair-Park also reminded the committee that the new Money Hill estate will create 150 car parking spaces within 250 metres of the North Street/Lower Church Street junction.

Cllr John Coxon, who also sits on Leicestershire County Council, added: "People tend to abandon their cars, they go into the takeaway and driving off again. It's very difficult to know how to deal with it."

But Cllr Bigby added: "My view is the experience of having those spaces hasn't worked. The last space forces people to drive on the wrong side of the road."

He suggested the County Council is contacted about the problem saying: "Ashby Town Council is concerned about the effects of the flow of traffic through the town caused by the parking spaces at the eastern end of Market Street, on the north side.

"Vehicles parked in these spaces are causing obstruction to the free flow of traffic.

"The council requests that County Highways removes the spaces."