Outraged parents are “very upset” after being banned from parking outside their children’s preschool by Harrow Council.

A special rule allowing mums and dads to park on double yellow lines outside Honeypot Preschool, on Marsh Lane in Stanmore, for a short time to drop off or pick up their children was revoked two weeks ago.

Parents complained to the council but their grievances were ignored, they said. Many also went to their local councillors’ monthly surgery to remonstrate but none of their three representatives showed up.

“It was outrageous when they didn’t turn up - they avoided it to avoid us,” said manager Fiona Prussia, who has worked at the pre-school for more than 15 years.

“15 years ago they put double yellow lines down. We appealed saying it would affect the viability of the nursery so the council gave us a special dispensation for parents to park there for ten minutes.

“In that 15 years there have been no accidents, no beeping, no-one not able to get through. It doesn’t affect the flow of traffic.

“We don’t know why they are taking it away now - there’s absolutely no reason for it.”

Edith Rees is a childminder, and has been taking kids to the “outstanding” rated preschool for nearly a decade.  

“We are very upset. I just can’t manage it if they don’t let me park here,” she said.

“There have been no accidents or complaints against us.”

Mrs Rees also bemoaned the way in which the council had imposed the parking ban.

“Our councillors didn’t turn up when we wanted to meet them and all their phones were switched off,” she said.

“It’s not just what they have done but the way they have done it - the council’s ignorant and arrogant manner is unacceptable.”

Mum Hazel Keating argued that Harrow councillors must meet with their constituents if they are to truly stand for them.

“They are supposed to represent us – how can they if they don’t turn up? We think they knew we were going to be there so they avoided us.

“It makes such a huge difference to parents – the roads you have to cross to get here are really dangerous.”

Mother-of-four Tehseen Syed said finding suitable parking in the area was incredibly difficult.

“All the roads nearby are residential so there are hardly any spaces,” she said.

“There is nowhere to cross the road safely at the community centre, which is where the council has suggested we park.

“If the council came down for 30 minutes they would notice that the only pedestrians here are us.”

Belmont councillor Manjibhai Kara said he and the other ward representatives did not know the group from Honeypot Preschool had arranged to visit the surgery.

He added that the councillors stopped attending their surgeries because no-one had turned up to the last three.

“We didn’t know. I would’ve gone very quickly if I did because I live just around the corner,” he said.

Cllr Kara explained a recent survey of the road – carried out in anticipation of a new school being built nearby – argued that parking on the double yellow lines was “an accident waiting to happen”.

“Just because an accident hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean an accident can’t happen,” he said.

“When the new junction comes in for the Avanti school it is going to be a problem. A lot of high-speed traffic will be going through – it is very dangerous.”

He added that, upon researching the issue, he could find no evidence of any special dispensation agreement, leading him to believe that the previous councillors had merely agreed to the proposal verbally.