POLICE say they have permission to park on a bridge pavement to carry out speed checks on the dual carriageway below, after residents raised concerns about pedestrian safety.

West Mercia Police road safety team have used the bridge at Ganarew, between Whitchurch and Monmouth, to spot speeding drivers on the A40 since 2010.

But some people now say the parking of the van across the bridge footpath is putting walkers at risk and is an illegal blocking of a public right of way.

One poster said quoting the Public Rights of Way section at Herefordshire Council: “There is a legal duty for public rights of way to be accessible at all times.

“Therefore if you wish to close or obstruct a path for any time you will need to make an application for a temporary path closure, stating the reason and alternative arrangements for path users…

“They do this regularly. There is a charge of £250 per closure and they need a street works certificate and clear marked way round their vehicle.”

Another man added: “If we've gotta stick to the law shouldn't the police. Obstructing a footpath is illegal.”

And one said: “Illegally parked, issuing tickets, that’s a no no.”

But one woman claimed: “Strictly speaking it's not illegal to park on a pavement other than in London.

“The improved law to cover the rest of the UK hasn't been enacted yet. That doesn't mean it's not stupid!”

Another added: “If people didn’t speed then they wouldn’t have fines… but what this van is doing is wrong and could possibly cause harm/death to pedestrians.”

But a West Mercia Police' roads safety team spokesperson said: “This site forms part of our casualty reduction programme and is in place to address the level of collision history on this (the A40) stretch of road.

“This is not a new site; enforcement has taken place here since 2010.

“All of our sites are risk assessed and we work in partnership with each of the relevant highways authorities to ensure our vehicles are positioned in approved locations. These often include areas of hardened verge, such as this.”

One poster on the debate on Ross-on-Wye Facebook public notice board added: “The reality is that there are no paths really leading to this path that they've parked on, so it's highly unlikely that any pedestrians would be wanting to walk past the van anyway.”