FED-UP residents living in a Russells Hall cul-de-sac are calling for enforcement of illegal hospital parkers who are flouting new prohibited road entry signs.

Dudley Council’s highway chiefs installed the large signs at the opening of Abbotsford Drive, as well as Pearce Close, Dereton Close and Elgar Crescent more than two months ago to tackle the issue of visitors parking in the streets surrounding the hospital to avoid the car parking charges.

However the signs, which read “Entry into this street is prohibited except to access of property”, are being regularly ignored claim residents, who say they have not noticed any difference in the amount of cars which block up their street dawn to dusk each day.

One resident of Abbotsford Drive, who did not wish to be named, said: “Nothing has changed, they still parkhere all the time.

“Wego out and point out the massive signs at the bottom of the road, but they just say they have every right to park there and they can get quite nasty with it.

“We’ve signed a petition and even taken down registration numbers and have handed over 300 to Dudley Council, but the council keep telling us it is a police problem, but when we contact the police they tell us it’s a council issue so we are getting nowhere.”

The residents are now calling for traffic wardens to come and enforce the signs and hand out penalties to the drivers.

The resident added: “Actually putting tickets on these cars is the only way we are going to stop it.”

St James’s ward councillor Mary Roberts, has backed the residents calls for enforcement and raised the issue at Central Dudley Area Committee.

Cllr Roberts said: “Residents are being verbally abused by motorists when they go and ask them not to park outside their home.

“We want to see parking attendants visiting the area at least once a week, ticketing offenders and making them pay the £70 fine. That would be a deterrent and word would soon get round then.”

Cllr Judy Foster, cabinet member for transportation, said: "We will be working with our partners in the police to find a suitable and effective way forward.

“We understand the frustrations of residents and their parking concerns, but we are determined to come up with a solution as quickly as possible."