RESIDENTS in a Derby neighbourhood say students are parking across their driveways and on pavements instead of using a free shuttle bus.

People living in Windmill Hill Road claim that larger vehicles struggle to get down the narrow street because of the volume of parking.

But the University of Derby Students' Union says it is doing all it can to educate its members to use other methods of transport, including a free shuttle bus that allows students to park and ride.

Residents say the problem has developed since the university's Markeaton campus opened.

Helen Bilbie, 44, runs her own childcare business from her home in the street.

She said: "It's absolutely ridiculous at times.

"Students start coming here from around 8.30am and obviously try to park as close as they can to the site.

"But in many cases, they have blocked my driveway, meaning people cannot pull in to drop their children off.

"The other day, I was stuck in the street, about 50 yards from my own home, and was sitting there waiting for 10 minutes because you couldn't move.

"If the university built a multi-storey car park at Sturgess Fields, this would stop."

Tim Beresford, 58, a retired telecom engineer, said he has left messages on the windscreens of motorists who have parked across his driveway.

He said: "I have called the police three times about it.

"They have come and stuck parking fines on the windscreens, but that is not stopping people from parking here.

"They park on the pavement as well, which means people in wheelchairs struggle to get past.

"It's just ignorance."

Dianne Hunt, 51, a photographer, lives further up Windmill Hill Road but has also experienced problems.

She said: "I have had two near misses in two days. The parking shows no consideration for the people who live on this narrow lane.

"We were handed a leaflet asking us to write to the university's parking co-ordinator if we had any problems and some people have done so, but nothing has happened yet."

Caleb Jackson, president of the students' union, said he was attending neighbourhood forum meetings to understand the residents' concerns.

He said: "We have put up signs across the campuses asking students to leave their cars at Markeaton Park and use the free shuttle bus to the Markeaton campus.

"We are also trying to encourage them to use alternative means of transport, such as walking, cycling or car sharing.

"We are working with the university on this but it is a slow process."

A spokesman for the university said its transport team had received three recent complaints from residents regarding student parking in the Windmill Hill Lane area.

He said: "The team issued a message to students, through the university's nearby Markeaton Street site, requesting students be more considerate in their car parking.

"The university, city council, residents and police are also part of a parking group which meets monthly and which reviews any issues."