Minicab drivers ‘urinating’ and ‘littering’ in a car park reserved for housing association tenants are creating a “nightmare” for residents of an Epsom street by blocking the road.

Residents of Horsley Close have complained that drivers from Clocktower Cars, based in Epsom Market Place, use the car park “all day and every night”, taking spaces reserved for residents of Jubilee House, the other side of the railway tracks.

The car park is owned by Orbit, which also owns the housing block in Station Approach.

The car park is intended for Jubilee House residents. Orbit’s commercial services director said it had instructed the company monitoring the car park to step up patrols following a complaint from Horsley Close residents.

A Clocktower Cars spokesman said the company did not condone illegal parking and sought to be an “asset to the community”.

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Pic credit: Janet Burgess

Paul Smith, 58, a retired engineer for British Airways, living in Horsley Close, said: “They are a nightmare. They use it as a public car park and block up the roads for the residents.

“When you challenge them, they just ignore you. They think they’re above the law."

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Pic credit: Janet Burgess

Mr Smith suggested that a camera in the car park might deter illegal parking and help enable Orbit to collect parking charges.

He added: “The council can’t do anything about it. Orbit have said they will do something, but I won’t hold my breath on it.”

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Pic credit: Janet Burgess

Janet Burgess, who lives in Horsley Close and escorts children with learning disabilities to and from school, said the drivers were using the car park “all day and every night”.

“The cars from Clocktower Cars are using it as a holding area,” she said.

“They are chucking their coffee cups on the ground and my neighbour even saw one of them using it as a toilet.”

Adam Cooper, commercial services director at Orbit, advised that the housing association employs UKPC, a third-party parking control company, to monitor the car park.

He said: “We have only received one customer complaint in relation to these spaces in the past three months.

“Following concerns raised to the Epsom Guardian advising of inappropriate use, we will be asking UKPC to step up their visits over the next few weeks.

“We will also introduce new signage to advise that this area should not be used for waiting vehicles and continue to monitor the situation, taking appropriate steps as required.”

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A spokesman for Clocktower Cars said: “We do not have any allocated parking anywhere in Epsom, the driver's wait for work in a place of their choice.

“We do not condone any illegal parking or anti-social behaviour by any of our driver's.

“If you wish to investigate any wrongdoings by the drivers your findings would be welcome to us for any shortcomings you may find as a local business we would look to be an asset to the community and not a hindrance.”

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