Illegal and 'dangerous' parking close to one of the South West's top beauty spots has led to more calls for Wiltshire Council action.

After tourists flocked to Castle Combe over the Easter weekend the parish council has again pleaded for a permanent fix to the village's parking problems.

Dunns Lane car park overflowed and drivers instead parked illegally and dangerously in residential areas, according to the parish council chairman Fredrick Winup.

The council has proposed extending the car park, but Mr Winup says this will not be enough to solve the parking issues and is calling for the council to hire experts.

Mr Winup said: “The volumes over the weekend were exceptional.

“The work that’s been done on the hill where we’ve marked out parking bays, replenished double yellow lines and put warning signs up has worked. People no longer park there illegally.

“The problem is the people who parked on the hill now park on the main road, the B4039. They park on this dangerous road then walk down with no pavement to get to the village.

“They’re also parking on the road to Ford. That road became so blocked a fire engine couldn’t get through.

“It turned out to be a false alarm at The Manor Hotel. If it had been real, they would have been stuffed.

“The whole thing was a disaster.”

He added: “The car park is inadequate and the Unitary Council’s proposal to spend over £300,000 on creating an extra 19 spaces is ridiculous.

“The whole issue needs an independent traffic management assessment by outside experts to identify a permanent solution.”

Wiltshire Council leader Richard Clewer said in response: “ The current car park in Castle Combe is often full, particularly during busier periods such as bank holidays, which was highlighted with people visiting during the Easter weekend.

“As such, we are proposing to extend Dunns Lane car park in Castle Combe to increase capacity and provide extra car parking spaces in the village.

“We recognise the long-running parking and safety concerns of those in Castle Combe and following the introduction of parking charges in the village, we have been able to fund the extension of the car park and increased enforcement visits in the village. 

“We have worked with the parish council and have agreed additional traffic management measures in the village which have recently been delivered. 

“We will continue to monitor car parking in and around the village, and will liaise with local stakeholders as we develop our proposals to increase car parking capacity.”