AN ANGRY resident in Bank Quay is considering setting up a petition to stop people illegally parking their cars on the pavements of his street.

Paul Savage, of Thynne Street, told the Guardian that he could not get his van out of his parking space last Tuesday because it was blocked in by other cars, which he claims are owned by people attending Jamiat Ul-Mulemeen mosque in Arpley Street.

"This is just a joke," he said.

"It's not the first time this has happened. I have lost an hour's work because people just park all over the pavement.

"I have been to the police but they said they only have one traffic warden and that they have got other priorities."

However police say that they are giving the issue their attention and are quick to add that concerns raised about the problem are not racially motivated.

A police spokesman said that an officer went to Thynne Street on Tuesday and saw that the cars were moved out of the way so that Mr Savage could move his van.

He added: "It is an ongoing problem in that area. There have been a lot of complaints and police are giving it their attention, but the problem would be the same if the mosque was a Roman Catholic Church."

In the meantime, the mosque has put up warning signs around the building urging their members to park responsibly. It reads: "A simple message: To avoid receiving car parking tickets, avoid illegal parking. You have been warned."

Javed Akhtar, secretary of the Jamiat Ul-Mulemeen mosque, said: "We can only tell them not to park there at the end of the day, we can't enforce it."

He added that he parks further away and walks to the mosque, and urged others to do the same.