RESIDENTS are claiming students and university visitors are causing parking chaos in a village's streets.

Villagers in Keele say dozens of motorists choose to park in their residential streets rather than pay for a parking permit at the university.

The problem is made even worse in mornings and afternoons when parents pick up and drop off their children at nearby St John's Primary School. It means residents struggle to reach their own properties, while the streets become difficult for the emergency services to negotiate.

Keele University currently has 2,500 parking spaces, and this year a total of 3,000 parking permits were purchased.

Gerald Wilde, aged 78, of Knights Croft, said: "A lot of the residents around here are elderly and if an ambulance came here it wouldn't be able to get up the road, because cars are parked on both sides.

"It's because first year students can't get permits for the car park on the campus and so they park in the residential streets as well.

"When there's an event on at the university it's even worse, and on top of that we get parents picking up their children from the school."

Mr Wilde said the parking problem was particularly bad in his street and nearby Quarry Bank Road on Thursday, due to a seminar at the university attracting lots of visitors. He believes the university should change its permit policy, so students will have less reason to seek free parking elsewhere.

Mr Wilde added: "We've complained about it before, and it did get better to a certain extent, but now it's worse again. There are some people parking in residents' private roads now."

June Scott, aged 73, of Knights Croft, said: "When they had a seminar the other day it was total chaos. Even though there's a sign saying residents' only parking they park here anyway.

"I think they should let the students park for free at the university, then they wouldn't park here."

Another resident, who did not wish to be named, said: "We should be getting a bigger sign saying residents' only, but that hasn't appeared yet.

"I complained to the police about people parking in front of my house, and they suggested leaving a note on the windscreen asking them not to park there. That's all I can do really."

The problem has been referred to Newcastle's joint parking committee, which is considering introducing limited waiting restrictions in the area.

At its last meeting the committee asked Staffordshire County Council to carry out an initial assessment of the situation in Keele.

A spokesman for Keele University said: "Regardless of what student parking limitations we put in place, there is always the potential that a student, or for that matter any visitor to the university, will decide not to pay for a permit and park in a public road where there are no restrictions.

"We also have difficulties with parents using our car park when dropping off their children at the local primary school, just as our conference visitors are arriving."

The spokesman said that the introduction of short-term on-street parking in Keele could benefit everyone.