RESIDENTS in a Blackburn estate have taken a step towards their goal of tackling match day misery.

People living in streets off Livesey Branch Road have long-complained about ‘thoughtless and dangerous’ parking outside their homes when football fans attend Blackburn Rovers games at Ewood Park.

But thanks to an appeal to Blackburn with Darwen Council, they have now succeeded in solving a 10-year legal battle to have the roads adopted, which will allow them to discuss options for regulating parking on match days.

Maureen Bateson, executive member for children’s services and ward councillor for Ewood, said residents had contacted her at the end of November, desperate for a solution.

She said: “When the police were able to oversee match day parking, things were not too bad.

“Once that stopped, residents started to experience problems and things have just got worse and worse.

“One lady told me she either has to go out before the match starts or stay at home until it’s over, because she can’t get her own cars out.

“She actually had a car driven across her lawn as its driver tried to get away after the match and was just relieved her children were in the house at the time.

“Residents are scared to let their children out because of bad driving and cars block their driveways and double park on roads leading into the estate, leaving them trapped in their homes.

“And they are worried that emergency vehicles won’t be able to get onto the estate.”

Although the estate was built a decade ago, the council could not adopt the highways and therefore maintain and manage the roads because the sewers had not been adopted by United Utilities.

Coun Bateson said: “We can now investigate parking solutions with residents, such as restrictions or ‘residents only’ parking permits on match days.

“Any changes will go through full consultation and a legal process.”

The roads which have been adopted are Farrington Close, Moorgate Gardens, Langho Street, Worston Avenue, Mitton Close, Soulby Close and Slater Street.