'What a load of rubbish' - Branscombe residents see red over selfish parking

This story from our sister publication in Sidmouth in Devon - one of 60 Nub News sites - made the national press, and even an outlet in the United States.

An example of rubbish parking in Branscombe led to local residents deciding to make an example of the unknown motorist concerned.

Not only was their car parked on a clearly marked Keep Clear area near the entrance to Parsons Lane – it was also blocking access to some homes for the council's recycling lorry.

Three of the weekly collections of recycling and food waste had already been missed, and the latest was due to take place yesterday morning.

The car had been there for two days and attempts to find out who owned it had proved fruitless.

So some of the villagers piled up their uncollected bags of recycling around the offending vehicle and posted photos on social media.

Eventually someone contacted the police about the vehicle, and the owner was traced through their insurance company.

The car has now been removed.

But in the meantime, residents are still waiting to have their rubbish collected – and since this includes food waste, they say it's now becoming an environmental health issue.

One resident, David Miller, told Sidmouth Nub News the food waste is infested with maggots and smells disgusting.

East Devon District Council have been experiencing problems with waste collections for several weeks.

Their website explains that their contractor is struggling with staff shortages and unable to make all the usual collections.