A decade of concerns over parking near Ottery Primary School came to a head as a petition signed by 250 people was handed to civic leaders this week.

PCSO Maria Clapp, of Ottery’s neighbourhood policing team, has initiated the action after receiving ‘numerous complaints’ from parents who say congestion and parked cars in Slade Road are causing ongoing problems.

She said she has been trying for ten years to get something done - and resorted to asking residents to organise the petition, calling for the introduction of double yellow lines at the entrance to Slade Road and Bridgefield.

The document - with around 250 signatures - has been handed to the town council and is expected to be discussed at a meeting on Monday.

Safety fears in the congested area have been heightened after a proposal to build a 52-home development at Slade Farm was revealed and an outline planning application was submitted to East Devon District Council last week.

PCSO Clapp said: “I am forever getting complaints and have done for years.

“Now it’s getting worse - and there is talk of a planning application at Slade Farm. If that gets approval, it will be even worse.”

A spokesman for Blue Cedar Homes – the developers behind the application - said its plans provide a ‘balanced extension’ to the community and will have limited impact on the road.

He added: “Because it is hoped that roughly half of the proposed development will be for people over the age of 55, there will be limited impact on local schools and a minimal increase in traffic - as retired households typically generate around half the vehicle movements of a family home.”

It will be down to Devon County Council’s (DCC) highways department to determine whether or not to grant the petition’s request.

A DCC spokesman said: “We will consider the petition once we have received it.”

He added that any change to parking restrictions would need to be considered in line with other priorities as it requires funding.

The authority does not normally progress individual proposals, but does periodically review waiting restrictions and traffic regulation orders.