A couple was shocked when council workmen erected two bollards blocking their new driveway they had spent thousands of pounds on renovating.

Amanda and Neil Cousins, both 51, decided to install a driveway in their front garden using block paving before erecting a fence around it.

But after a council highways inspector drove past and saw the new driveway, the couple entered a debate with the council over whether or not it should have been installed.

Last week, this came to a head after workmen arrived and erected posts in place – making the front of their home in Middleton St George, near Darlington, County Durham, redundant.

The couple are now forced to park their cars on a nearby street while the large paved area remains empty.

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Mrs Cousins explained: “Our garden was a bit of a mess with tree roots coming up through the earth and making it very untidy. It was open to access for people walking by and kids used to take a short cut through it. We thought it would look a lot smarter if we paved it and put a fence around it, there was never any intention to use it as a driveway as such.

“Neil works away all week and would sometimes park his car there at weekends. Unfortunately on one of those few occasions a council inspector drove by and we received a letter telling us we couldn’t use the area as a drive.

“The front of our house comes out directly onto a crossing that was put in place for children on their way to the local school, which is just around the corner from where we live. We accepted that completely and decided not to use it for the car any more and to park in bays in the street that runs alongside the house.

“However the next thing we knew we were warned by letter that bollards would be erected and then there were workmen in the street putting them up.

“We stood there in disbelief. Even the workmen seemed embarrassed. They apologised but said they had to do it because that’s what they had been told to do.

“We’re not bothered about not being able to park there, that was never the issue, we just wanted it tidy and looking nicer.

“But now it looks awful, no one wants a path leading up to two massive bollards right in front of their home. The council have massively overreacted and in doing that they have made the pavement unsafe. People with wheelchairs struggle to get past and the kids use the bollards to swing around right next to a busy road. It’s just a ridiculous situation.”

Neighbour Julie Cox, 61, said the bollards have also restricted access for her mobility scooter.

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Mrs Cox slammed the couple for “wasting cash” on installing the bollards when “there are so many things the council could have spent money on”.

She added: “The pavement is narrow and sloping and they’ve now made it even worse, it’s a hazard for me to use in my scooter and I feel really sorry for Neil and Amanda to be stuck with this. Someone should take them out and plonk them in front of the council headquarters, it just hasn’t been thought through.”

During the school run, cars are parked on either side of the road meaning vehicles are forced to squeeze through tight gaps while schoolchildren are crossing.

A lollipop lady is said to be managing the situation to ensure the safety of children and parents during the pickup and drop-off.

A Darlington Borough Council spokesperson added: “There must be a properly constructed vehicle crossing if residents want to park on a driveway. The location must be inspected by the Highways Authority to ensure it is safe. We always try to accommodate requests but there are occasions when we have to refuse, for example, if it’s close to a junction or crossing.

“On this occasion the resident did not contact the Highway Authority before building their block paving. If they had, they would have been advised that a vehicle crossing would not be allowed due to the existing crossing, which is also a school crossing patrol location and has been for many years.

“We have been in discussions with the resident for several months and have explored the possibility of moving the crossing point but this has not been possible due to on street parking, bus stops and nearby road junctions. The resident told us they would be extending their fence to close the gap but this has not happened so reluctantly we have had to install bollards to prevent cars driving over the footpath.

“It is regretful that we were unable to help this resident but we have a duty of care to keep everyone safe.”

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