Angry licensee bans school-run parents from car park

An irate licensee has banned school-run parents from using her pub's car park and been forced to issue parking permits to her regulars.

Tracy Burtwell, of the New Inn in Kidmore End, Reading, introduced the system after finding the exterior of the pub had been damaged and customers were being blocked in.

Since taking over the Brakspear pub in October, two walls and a drainpipe have been damaged, running up costs of more than £500.

She has set aside 18 spaces for permit-holding parents who are also customers of the pub.

Tracy said: "90 per cent of those using my car park had never even been into the pub - if they're not going to patronise my establishment then why should they be allowed to damage my property?"

"We put an announcement in the parish newsletter in November, and we went out and asked people to take care," said Tracy.

And she took action after two of her customers were delayed by 25 minutes because their car was blocked in by a double-parked mum.

"When I asked this lady to move her car she said she'd park wherever she felt like," she said.

In recompense Tracy gave the affected customers a refund of £25 each as a "gesture of goodwill".

She stressed that those causing damage were "in the minority" and the school's parents association was keen to set things right.

"Some of the mums have said to me that they can see the state that the car park is left in, and have set aside some money for damages," she said.

The system has been in place for four weeks, and so far "people are parking more responsibly", said Tracy.