The MP for Harrow East has joined a campaign to keep the streets clear from parked cars in a bid to prevent blind people from walking into the path of oncoming traffic.

Bob Blackman attended a Guide Dogs event at the House of Commons on July 3, where he heard that some guide dog owners face “dangerous situations” on a daily basis by risking their safety every time they go shopping or make the school run.

The charity says that parking on pavements particularly affects people with visual impairments, parents with pushchairs, wheelchair users and other disabled people, as they may step on to the road to avoid blocked pavements.

Members of Guide Dogs are now campaigning for pavement parking to be an offence, except in areas where local authorities grant specific exemptions.

This is already the case in London, but elsewhere across the country, councils struggle to tackle unsafe pavement parking because they can only restrict it street by street.

Bob Blackman said: “No one should be forced to brave traffic by cars parked on the pavement. Here in London the system works.

“That’s why I’m calling on the Government to end problem pavement parking across the country.

“Blind and partially sighted people should be able to walk the streets without fear.”

James White, senior campaigns manager at Guide Dogs, added: “Pavement parked cars and street clutter can turn the walk to work or trip to the shops into a dangerous obstacle course.

“It’s a nuisance for anyone, but if you have a visual impairment or a toddler in tow, walking in the road with moving traffic is just too big a risk.”