Purley residents have successfully fought a council plan to remove up to 60 parking spaces from their road.

But one who critisised the plan to introduce double yellow lines to a section of Purley Vale is warning of a parking crisis in Croydon.

Nick Cohen was among several who expressed opposition to the plan at a meeting of Croydon Council's traffic management committee.

They stopped a scheme to introduce double yellow lines five metres into Purley Vale and the cul-de-sacs leading from it and then a further seven metres into the road.

Mr Cohen told the meeting the proposal would have wiped out 60 parking spaces in what is an already overcrowded street. Residents said they were also disappointed at the lack of consultation.

They told the committee they had invested money into their properties knowing that parking was not an issue.

He added: "We have all paid a premium on our properties in the knowledge that there were no restrictions on parking. The vast majority of these houses were built in the 1930s and most have no driveways.

"The more and more they keep moving people out of their own roads, then the more people are going to find other places to park.

"Eventually it will become an epidemic if people are not consulted properly by the faceless beauracrats in the planning department."

A council spokesman said before the meeting: "Due to the high density of parking along Purley Vale and the culs-de-sac leading from it, it is often the case that cars park right up to the junction.

"This makes it difficult for not only the council's utility vehicles to get into the side roads but also emergency vehicles, such as fire engines and ambulances, and delays in their arrival at an address could have dire consequences.

"Street notices were fixed to a number of lamp columns in the area about two months ago and residents directly affected were given separate letters and notices."

Mr Cohen, however, said they were not informed and notices were not prominent enough for people to notice at night or to understand what they meant.

He added: "We believe we are entitled to greater consultation than a two-inch notice below the used furniture section of the local paper.

After the meeting the council spokesman added: "Following deliberation by the Traffic Management Cabinet Committee, it was decided not to approve the proposal. Council officers will now discuss alternative options with ward councillors and residents."