Mud and puddles caused by cars on Midsummer Common

Local residents have been expressing their disquiet at the number of cars parked outside the Fort St George pub. They are dismayed by the deep tyre gouging of the grass edges of the common and breaking up of the footpath. There are even bricks and rubble that have been used to free a vehicle stuck in the mud — and then left deeply embedded in the ground.

Lib Dem city councillors have gone to see the City Parks and Open Spaces officers, and they have promised to take swift action. They will tighten up vehicle access to the pub partly by restricting the width at the gate so lorries cannot get through, and perhaps by locking the gate and giving access to the publican and genuine deliveries only. They will also speak to the pub’s owner, Greene King, in order to get the damage to the Common made good.