Fed up residents are calling for more help to clear a road clogged up with cars parked for sale.

This week Merton Council confirmed the problem is on the rise - but said the law did not let it prosecute the vehicle owners.

Streatham Road resident Lubna Ilyas said dozens of cars with 'for sale' signs and contact numbers in the their windows were left in her street, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

She said: “This road has become, over the past few years, a market for selling and buying cars. It has got so bad that we now cannot park our cars for at least two to three streets away.

“I am really frustrated because I suffer arthritis and when I've got lots of shopping to carry it is not fun bringing it from a few streets away.

"I have never complained to a council about anything, but I feel that this is an infringement of my freedom and right to live on this street.”

Councillor William Brierly, cabinet member for planning and traffic management, said: “We sympathise with residents and continue to work closely with the police and the DVLA on this issue, regularly checking for for sale signs and untaxed cars parked in the borough’s roads.

"When an offence is committed, we take action to remove the relevant vehicles and prosecute the owners.

“To ensure we are putting Merton's residents first, our enforcement teams are working together to deal with a problem which is becoming more prominent. However, we can only operate within the legislation currently available to us.”

He said it was only illegal to advertise cars on the street if dealing in them was the seller’s main business and if they left two vehicles parked within 500m of each other.

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