Concerns over rental firm's pavement parking on busy Wigan road

Vans belonging to Enterprise have been photographed parked on the pavement outside their Wallgate branch, within touching distance of the busy main road.

In the image, a car can be seen trying to leave the garage, while at the same time a cyclist approaches the blocked path.

It was taken recently by Will Jones, a regular Enterprise customer. But Mr Jones revealed he first encountered the issue back in November.

The Whelley 53-year-old said: “I couldn’t see a thing getting out. When I took the car back I said to them ‘it’s not on’. I contacted head office and they said it shouldn’t be happening. But it carried on.

“You can see from the picture a car is trying to pull out, but his view is blocked. And a cyclist is also trying to get past. They (Enterprise) are having a laugh.”

He added: “I hire from them quite often, and my company uses their vans for business. But three months later, this is still happening.”

A spokesman for Enterprise said: “We are aware of this issue and are currently looking for additional parking nearby to meet the growing demands of our customers in the Wigan area. We apologise for any inconvenience caused as we seek a permanent solution to this matter.”

The incident occurred in the same week that the Government was urged to impose a ban on pavement parking. Peers at Westminster heard there was already a general bar on the practice in London, with pressure for this to be extended across the rest of England.

The Government acknowledged car parking on pavements was “a problem” and pointed out the findings of a review were being currently being looked at.

Transport Minister Baroness Sugg said: “Within Greater London there is already a general ban on pavement parking. In the rest of England, local authorities can implement local bans using traffic regulation orders.

“In recent months the Department for Transport has carried out a review on pavement parking, gathering evidence on the effectiveness of current legislation and the case for reform. That review is now complete and we are considering its findings.”