Police have vowed to crack down on illegal parking after nearly 40 vehicles were towed on Good Friday in Snowdonia.
Officers say the cars were parked “dangerously” on narrow mountain roads in Eryri, Wales' largest national park, on Friday (April 7).
Scores of other vehicles were also ticketed along the A5 the Ogwen Valley and on the A4086 near Pen-y-Pass on Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon).
Police were forced to close the A5 for several hours due to the number of cars that needed to be towed away.
Locals were left inconvenienced and incensed over the continued problems of inconsiderable parking in the national park, North Wales Live reports.
In the run-up to Easter, social media messaging advised motorists to use park-and-ride facilities and double yellow lines were painted along a stretch of the A5 by Llyn Ogwen.
The police said inconsiderate parking is causing a danger to others. A spokesman for North Wales Police said: “Whilst we appreciate people are visiting Eryri National Park to enjoy the weather and stunning scenery this Bank Holiday weekend, we are urging motorists to be responsible and think about where they park and to make full use of the park-and-ride facilities that are available.
“The irresponsible and dangerous parking we witnessed in Pen y Pass and Llyn Ogwen yesterday (Good Friday) not only risks lives, but also prevents emergency vehicle access. Almost 40 vehicles parked dangerously on the narrow mountain routes were recovered yesterday, including 29 near Llyn Ogwen and nine in Pen y Pass.”
The police said it is continuing to work closely with Gwynedd Council and the Eryri National Park to help reduce the risk to walkers, cyclists and other road users. On April 1, a new shuttle bus service was launched to service the Ogwen Valley. The T10 public bus also operates from Bethesda.
NWP warned: “Parking in other parts of Eryri National Park will continue to be monitored over the Bank Holiday weekend. Any further vehicles found to be parked on the clearway, double yellows or causing an obstruction will also have their vehicle removed at their own expense. Please heed the warning.”
Despite this, local people said the message wasn’t getting through. One said today’s parking at Llyn Ogwen was “unbelievable”. Another added: “Honestly, one car has moved the cones and parked in the middle!”
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