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Motorists flocked to Porthcurno near Land’s End last weekend with pictures showing dozens of vehicles blocking The Valley road through the village towards the beach. Cars can be seen on both sides of the narrow lane which is the only route to Porthcurno’s popular seaside. Some vehicles even appear to be parked on the carriageway in the photos.
Local councillor Brian Clemens told Express.co.uk that lives will be put at risk by selfish drivers if emergency services vehicles are unable to access the route into the village.
He said: “I’m really concerned that something serious could happen and the emergency services can’t get through. That is my biggest fear.
“Sooner or later it is going to happen.”
Mr Clemens pointed to two separate incidents in recent years when the coast guard and an ambulance could not get past vehicles blocking the road.
Twitter account Porthcurno Today claimed last week that a coastguard vehicle on an emergency callout struggled to get past.
It tweeted: “Predatory Parkers at #Porthcurno today, just before HM Coastguard vehicle went down the road with sirens on.
“Will @Cornwallcouncil paint the promised yellow lines over the top of these obstructions?”
The rural seaside village lacks large enough car parks to meet demand in spite of it being one of the most popular places to visit in the west of the county, according to CornwallLive.
An independent councillor, Mr Clemens explained that the village is a magnet for tourists with its iconic beach, open air Minack Theatre and PK Porthcurno Museum of Global Communications drawing the crowds.
In the past Porthcurno was the first point at which transatlantic submarine telegraph cables came ashore.
Mr Clemens said some visitors to the area just do not care where they park with some locals feeling like prisoners in their own homes as they avoid driving outside the village in case they are blocked trying to get back.
He said: “Some drivers just don’t care and show total disregard for others. That’s the hardest pill to swallow. The car parks just can’t cope.
“Over the last two years with Covid and people not travelling abroad as much we’ve been inundated.
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“We’ve got a job to get to some of our beaches. You give people a £60 parking ticket and they just laugh, saying it was a cheap day out at the beach.
“Most people respect the rules, but some just don’t care. It only takes one bad apple to spoil a barrel.”
In a bid to rid the popular beauty spot of the problem, Porthcurno locals, police and Mr Clemens teamed up to position traffic cones along the route last summer.
However, a bumper year of tourists led to a bumper 12 months for predatory parking, CornwallLive reports.
A number of fines were issued to drivers by Devon and Cornwall Police with help from Cornwall Council.
But locals want double yellow lines painted along a stretch of road so that they can use the route along with buses and the emergency services.
Mr Clemens said a scheme is due to be introduced, but it has been held up. He added that he is talking to a local landowner who might open up a field for parking.
He added that the local authority has benefited from the Government’s levelling up fund, which allowed it to offer £5 bus tickets covering the county.
But he added: “People are still not getting out of their cars. People want to travel at their times. It’s their holiday.”
Cornwall Council has been approached for comment.
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