TRAIN commuters are leaving their cars outside people’s homes near Rowley Regis railway station instead of using a new £1 million car park extension.

Residents around Douglas Road and Fairfield Road are still being plagued by inconsiderate motorists despite the recent opening of the 360-space extension creating more than 700 free spaces at the station.

Halesowen North councillor Hilary Bills said householders had put up with parking congestion outside their homes for years – a problem which the car park extension was supposed to solve.

She has been working with Dudley Council to get the message across to motorists that they are not welcome in the residential streets.

A grassed triangle has been protected to stop cars parking and many homes now have white H bars to keep the ends of their drives clear.

Some commuters are using the extended car park, which stretches a long way from the station, running parallel to the track and Cllr Bills said there may be an “element of laziness” in not using it.

But she said vehicles would be protected from the risk of damage from large lorries passing by on the streets if they were left in the CCTV-controlled car park.

“Some may not realise the extension work has been completed – we want them to know it is open for business,” said Cllr Bill, adding: “The next step is to dissuade the last few motorists from parking outside people’s homes. I shall be working with the residents and the police to identify these inconsiderate motorists and asking them to use the new extended car park at the station.”