South London locals say they are “fed up” after a nearby Elizabeth line station has made the parking in their estate “unbearable”, with vulnerable people in the area being “forgotten” about.

Nicky Evans, 47, has lived in Priory Gardens estate in Belvedere, Bexley, for 20 years.

The mum said parking has never been an issue in the estate, until the Elizabeth line opened earlier this year from the nearby Abbey Wood station.

News Shopper: The entrance to the Priory Gardens estate in Belvedere, with the 'bottleneck' road leading into the estate. The entrance to the Priory Gardens estate in Belvedere, with the 'bottleneck' road leading into the estate.

The mum said: “It’s never ever been an issue, and then since they’ve opened [the Elizabeth line], it’s just been progressively getting worse.

"Probably for the last two months now people have discovered round this road. It’s just unbearable.”

Ms Evans said commuters parking in her estate to use the nearby station means she can’t drop her kids to school without losing her parking space.

She said the “awful” situation means people visiting those living in the estate often can’t find anywhere to park, with vulnerable people being “forgotten” about.

She said: “We’ve got someone who has carers coming in who can’t park here. Things like that just aren’t thought about…

"My sister came and she had to just drive home again because there’s nowhere to park.”

Ms Evans said everyone she has spoken to in the estate has raised the problem with the council.

The mum said she was told by the council that it had to wait until the station had opened until it could review the issue.

News Shopper: Priory Gardens in Belvedere with a row of cars down the estatePriory Gardens in Belvedere with a row of cars down the estate

She said: “It obviously was going to be an issue. Everyone’s been saying for months it’s going to be an issue and they just don’t take any notice. They’re not interested.”

The mum said she has tried asking the council to bring more parking restrictions into the estate, but was told it may affect people visiting the local park.

She said: “They keep saying that no one would get to park at the Abbey at the weekend [if restrictions were brought in]. But that’s never ever been an issue, there’s plenty of parking at the weekends.”

Ms Evans said the atmosphere in the estate has gotten more tense since the new station opened, with residents worried people parking in the area don’t live there.

She said: “You go out and you’re getting quizzed, ‘Who are you?,’ and it’s never been like that round here. It’s always been really friendly.”

Pat Stratfull, 76, has lived in Priory Gardens since 1999, and said everyone in the estate is “fed up” with the issue.

She said: “It was bad enough before Crossrail and the Jubilee line, it’s been like this for years.”

Ms Stratfull lives near the only entrance to the estate, describing the road beside her home as a “bottleneck”.

She said: “Every so often you get one particular day when it just goes wrong all day long because people keep parking across the dropped curbs. It’s ridiculous.”

Ms Evans said she and her partner plan to move to a bigger space soon for their four-year-old twins.

AbShe said: “We wanted to stay in this bit because it’s really nice and quiet and it’s always been a lovely little hidden bit to live. Now, I don’t actually want to live down here anymore because it’s just turned into a stressful road to park.”

A Bexley Council spokesperson said: “We are currently carrying out a project to introduce/amend parking restrictions in and around Abbey Wood station to help relieve the parking pressure that is a direct consequence of the Elizabeth line opening earlier in the year.

“As part of this, we need to follow a statutory process to protect the interests of residents and motorists. This will include consultation with residents and other stakeholders before any parking restrictions can be introduced or amended.”