Furious locals living in Silverstone have moaned they are being plagued by parking wardens who are closing off roads and putting tickets on cars as the Grand Prix weekend gets underway.
Residents of the Northamptonshire village are unable to park outside their homes as around half a dozen residential streets have been shut off for the four-day Formula 1 spectacle.
It comes as locals have also blasted the organisers of the Grand Prix for turning it into a ‘music festival’ with crowds and blaring music.
Local Simon Page, 61, told : ‘The cones in my street came out at midnight and by 7am this morning [Friday] there were traffic wardens pounding up and down.
‘It’s even worse this year than last because the council has closed more access in and out of the village.’
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The Formula 1 model maker who lives with his wife Jane less than a mile from the track, continued: ‘At least half a dozen residential roads are shut off meaning we are all banned from parking outside our own homes. It is ridiculous.
‘We have become prisoners in our own homes!
‘A lot of homes here only have on-street parking so it is causing mayhem. We have been offered alternative parking in a field the other side of the village but that’s no good for some people.’
Mr Page added: ‘They now have bands playing over the whole weekend. It is meant to be a racing event but it is more like Glastonbury.
‘They’ve turned it into a rave and the music blaring out is louder than the cars on race day.’
They’ve always had some live music but it has never been so loud or extensive as it was last year, and this will be even worse.
‘You can’t sleep at night because it goes on till the early hours and you can’t go out in the day in your vehicle because the roads are sealed off or too crowded. It is utter chaos.
Locals on the Silverstone Village Community group have also pointed out that wardens are on the warpath – and have branded it an ‘illogical’ and’ nonsensical’ policy.
Simon Darby stated: ‘Parking wardens are out and about in the village and have started putting fines on cars in Murswell Lane.’
He added: ‘They advised that they have four parking enforcement officers working in the village.
‘They also mentioned they are being funded by the circuit and usually work in Northampton.
‘Move your cars if you can and try to remember they are just doing a job.’
He grumbled: ‘I still don’t fully understand why they fine cars with residents’ passes when there is not heavy traffic, yet.
‘It is still not a logical or a common sense policy. Starting at 7am feels a little bit harsh.’
Helen Spellman posted on the community page: ‘Unfortunately, today’s enforcement officers don’t have the same policy as the old police traffic wardens did.’
Karen Britton, echoing Mr Page’s remarks, said: ‘This is an old village and not all the houses have off road parking.’
Tara Eacott posted: ‘The circuit may be funding it but the rules are from the local authority and F1 officials.’
She said that Little London – a road leading in and out of the village – ‘ran a successful petition to get the charges dropped.’
Another, Helen Spellman added: ‘I’m afraid parking restrictions are parking restrictions and apply to all.’
Mr Page, who has lives in the village near Towcester for 27 years, said as well as the race event causing a parking ‘nightmare’ the noise from live bands was also causing a headache.
He said: ‘Nearly half a million people will come and visit the race, locals have no issue with the spectators, it’s just the organisers who are all about making money.’
‘All the residents are up in arms because the roads have become a rat run and parking tickets are being given out left, right and centre absurd has caused a lot of bad feeling.’
Villager Paige Snooks said: ‘Last year it was horrendous living here, the noise, the parking, the crowds.’
She has admitted that the only solution to beat the Silverstone Grand Prix was to avoid it by going away.
She is headed off early on Friday for a weekend away to Great Yarmouth with her husband Kris, a vehicle technician, and their one-year-old daughter Aria.
Mrs Snooks said: ‘So many residents were given parking fines even the village postman!
‘We dread the event and chaos it causes so we disappear for the weekend, like other sensible people.’
Her husband added: ‘Many locals are moaning about it. We’ve lived herd for five years but we’re not D1 fans.’
The boss of Silverstone has defended the £429 price tag for tickets at the Grand Prix which attracts the rich and famous with Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt leading the celebrity A-listers at the action.
Last year saw a record number of 480,000 people descend on the iconic circuit, with more expected to descend this weekend.
The spectacle is the highlight of the F1 calendar but in recent years has become a nightmare for locals, who have lashed out at the chaos caused by the crowds.
Last year parking fines totalling £1,500 were imposed and wardens, once more, are out in force.
The stringent, unpopular rules are part of a temporary traffic regulation order (TTRO) which had been imposed on the area for three days.
The idea of the order was to prevent spectators parking in nearby villages but a misunderstanding led to locals with exemption permits being fined anyway.
Mel Dennision, who has lived in Silverstone for 60 years and has multiple sclerosis, said: ‘We’ve never had this issue before. We’ve never been demanded to move our cars.
‘I’ve always left my car there with my residents’ pass and blue badge and never been asked to move it before. Never.’
Track bosses later said they would pay the fines for residents as a goodwill gesture.
A large four-day police operation, involving armed officers, detectives and search dogs, began yesterday at the venue.
Northampton Police said months of planning and preparation had gone into ‘ensur[ing] everyone has a crime-free, safe, and enjoyable experience during their visit to the county’
Uniformed officers have been joined by plain-clothes detectives as well as Special Constables in the huge task of patrolling the circuit, the campsites, and the surrounding road network over the weekend.
Live Facial Recognition (LFR) is also expected to be used on Saturday and Sunday.
Detective Chief Superintendent Rich Tompkins, who is leading the operation, said: ‘People have already begun arriving and setting up for this year’s British Grand Prix and we are ready to ensure everyone has an enjoyable, safe, and crime-free experience both at Silverstone and while visiting our county.
‘This is a major police operation involving uniformed officers, police staff, specials, and volunteers, we will also have detectives, armed officers, and specialist search dogs and their handlers, patrolling the circuit, the campsites and local area throughout the event.’
A spokesperson for Silverstone said: ‘The Inter-Agency Group – a collaboration of emergency services, local authorities, and event partners – work together to deliver a safe Formula 1 British Grand Prix.
‘The main arterial roads have parking restrictions to allow emergency access, and in Silverstone village, only two other residential roads have parking restrictions (from Friday – Sunday).
‘The IAG and Silverstone Parish Council worked together to ensure residents without off-street parking were provided with alternative parking.
‘The traffic management plans, including village road closures, are put in place to protect the village and are designed to minimise the impact of the event, while allowing the residents access throughout the weekend.’