Cllr Murrae Blair-Park, current Mayor of Ashby, has called for urgent action over safety concerns on Warner Road and new housing areas.

In an statement sent to North West Leicestershire District Council, Leicestershire Police, Leicestershire County Council, members of Ashby Council and housing developers Taylor Wimpey and Bloor Homes, Cllr Blair-Park expressed his 'serious concerns' about road safety on Warner Road, and the new Ashby Fields and Castle Manor housing developments.

Currently, the roads these developments are being built on have not yet been adopted by Leicestershire County Council, which is normal during development.

However, due to this fact, responsibility for the road remains with the developers.

In his communication with the various developers and authorities, Cllr Blair-Park said: 'Unfortunately, Warner Road is increasingly being used as an unofficial parking area by residents from surrounding streets and by visitors accessing Ashby town centre.

'This has resulted in significant congestion and, in many cases, effectively reduced sections of the road to a single traffic lane.

'The consequence is that two-way traffic movement is severely restricted at the junction of Warner Road and Nottingham Road and throughout the entrance into the new housing estate.'

Currently, Leicestershire County Council has no power to enforce parking restrictions or take action to combat this as the road is not theirs.

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'Whilst I understand this position,' continues Cllr Blair-Park, 'the practical reality is that the situation continues to worsen and responsibility appears to be falling between various organisations, leaving residents exposed to increasing levels of risk.'

One of the safety concerns he cites is the increased use of parents parking on Warner Road to drop of pupils to Ashby School, leading to a significant rise in the amount of traffic outside the school, as well as more children crossing Nottingham Road, where there is restricted visibility caused by parked vehicles.

Cllr Blair-Park is calling on North West Leicestershire District Council, Leicestershire County Council Highways, representatives from Taylor Wimpey and Bloor Homes, and local residents to convene at a meeting to identify both immediate and longer-term solutions to address the current risks.

The mayor also expressed his disappointment that the matter has already previously been raised but no meaningful changes have been made to manage the risk to school children, residents, visitors and road users.