Front gardens could be converted into driveways to alleviate a squeeze on parking places.

At a meeting of the Sutton Local Committee earlier this month, plans were mooted to allow residents of Gauntlett Road, Sutton, to park in their front gardens.

The council are looking at plans to introduce a by law to allow residents to have dropped curbs in an attempt to alleviate the ongoing parking problems in the area.

Gauntlett Road is just outside the controlled parking zone (CPZ) which means people who park there do not have to pay the £45 a year for one car, or the £110 for three cars, which they would do if they were in the zone.

Motorists make the most of this, according to residents of the street, who say they cannot park near their houses because of the number of vehicles parking in the narrow street to avoid the CPZ.

In an attempt to tackle to problem, the council is looking at giving residents provision to park in their gardens, but only if the car does not encroach onto the pavement.

It is unclear whether it will be by way of a fine, but if you have a Land Rover, and a small garden, it is likely the residents will fall foul of the rules.

One member of the audience at the committee meeting accused the council of "dictating the size of people's cars".

Councillor Simon Wales told the meeting the idea will be discussed at the next environment and neighbourhoods committee.

A council spokesman said: "There are policies in Sutton that govern whether or not a property can have a dropped kerb, one of which is the size of the frontage plot.

"In response to concerns, we are currently examining whether to allow smaller frontages and, if so, whether we should introduce a by-law to prohibit vehicles overhanging the footpath when the vehicle is too large."