A FOOTPATH could be built along the side of Whalley Abbey after parked cars eroded the grass verge and exposed the roots of trees.

Several local residents complained about the eroding of the grass on The Sands at a meeting last week.

Martin Nugent, the county council’s senior traffic develop-ment engineer for the Ribble Valley, who was at the meeting, confirmed that he was aware of the issue and that the council would be looking for a solution.

“It is clear that there has been a significant eroding away of the green,” he said, “and it is some-thing that we are going to be looking at.

“One solution may be that we look at creating a footpath on that side of the road.”

Coun Terry Hill, who represents Whalley for Ribble Valley Borough Council, said the problem had become worse since the county council installed measures to prevent parking outside Whalley CofE Primary School.

He said: “I went to show Mr Nugent what had happened at The Sands and he acknowledged that what we said would happen had now happened.

“It is clear that something has to be done. People are parking along The Sands now instead of outside the school.”

The meeting, arranged by the Ribble Valley Seniors’ Action Forum, also saw a debate on the controversial issue of parking in the village centre, around King Street.

Mr Nugent said that “there is no easy solution” to the problem, but added that introducing a limited waiting scheme on King Street would not be beneficial.

Several residents complained that traders were parking on King Street throughout the day, from 8am to 5pm, leaving nowhere for residents or shoppers to park.

Mr Nugent did say that the county council was looking at upgrading the zebra crossing on King Street to a puffin crossing, controlled by lights.