Police have condemned dozens of ‘selfish’ drivers who blocked emergency services from rescuing an injured walker in the Peak District by double parking on narrow country lanes.
Derbyshire Constabulary was forced to close the picturesque Winnats Pass and Rushup Edge roads, near the quaint village of Castleton, on Sunday afternoon following a previous day of chaos.
Drivers have had their vehicles towed or received tickets after 200 cars parked up in the Peak District on Saturday, blocking emergency services and gritter lorries from getting through.
Rescuers came ‘well prepared’ to Bay Clough, near Edale, at about 11.55am on Saturday after a walker had ‘taken a tumble’ but their access was unfortunately ‘slowed down’ due to an influx of visitors.
The furious police force said vehicles were left abandoned and ‘dumped’ on the side of the road as visitors flocked to the beauty spot amid the freezing conditions.
A Derbyshire Constabulary spokesman told the BBC: ‘Parking like this isn’t just an inconvenience, it blocks the way of ambulances and fire engines responding to potentially life and death emergencies.
‘So if you were intending to travel to Winnats Pass today then you will need to find an alternative place to visit and, when you do, please park appropriately.
‘If you can’t find a space where you first intended to visit then don’t simply dump your car, your selfish actions could be the difference between someone receiving life-saving care or not.’
The force added that 21 drivers who parked on the clearway through Winnats Pass would be prosecuted.
The stark warning comes after a rescue mission was hampered by the poorly parked cars.
Photos show narrow roads crowded with cars parked on both sides, with minimal room for vehicles to drive through.
The Edale Mountain Rescue Team (MRT) also urged people to ‘be mindful’ when enjoying the ‘beautiful snowy conditions’ as cars parked and abandoned in various locations made the operation more difficult.
A Buxton-based team was called to help the walker to safety in ‘challenging conditions’ after they fell on frozen terrain and suffered ‘very painful injuries’.
The casualty was fortunately located, insulated and given pain medication while they awaited further help.
But an MRT spokesman said: ‘Yet again, a multi-agency job rescuing a walker in challenging conditions.
‘It is worth noting, rescuers’ access to this incident was slowed down by cars parked and abandoned in various locations.
‘Please be mindful when enjoying these beautiful snowy conditions that the emergency services may need to get past where you have left your car.’
A rescue helicopter from Humberside Airport was called due to the area being ‘a foot of snow over steep bouldery heather’, the BBC reports.
The MRT added some ‘nifty flying” allowed the walker to be winched away to a waiting ambulance in Edale.
On Saturday morning, Derbyshire County Council had also condemned drivers for double parking because it was preventing gritters from getting through.
In a post on X, they said: We have issues with cars double parked on Rushup Edge and Man Nick on the road down to Edale. Our gritters cannot get through with around 200 cars in the area. Please move your car if you are in the area. If we can’t get through neither would a bus or fire engine.’
In an update late on Sunday, the council confirmed several motorists either got tickets or had their cars towed.
‘Winnats Pass and Rushup Edge at Sparrowpit End are now open after Derbyshire Police dealt with earlier parking issues,’ they said.
‘Many cars got tickets or were towed away. It’s still very cold so please drive safely if you’re out and about. Gritting teams are out from 4am.’
It comes amid growing fury over the stunning village of Castleton being plagued by parked cars.
Tucked away in the rolling Peak District hills, the village of under 1,000 residents is located between Manchester and Sheffield.
The popular route went viral on TikTok over last April’s bank holiday due to massive queues snaking back.
Dr Adele Doran, a principal lecturer in tourism at Sheffield Hallam University, told the Express over the summer: ‘There’s a very popular walk [starting in Castleton] that is essentially like a horseshoe along the highest point of the Peak District. But through the middle of that [route] is a road.
‘Rather than walking to the top people park on the hill so they [avoid the incline]. It’s quite troublesome because they are parking their cars on the verges [at the side of the road].’
He added: ‘It’s something that’s been happening for a number of years. But the volume of vehicles now [has made the problem much worse].’
‘There can be queues of traffic up the roads. I believe on the last bank holiday, emergency services could not even get through because there were just cars parked willy-nilly.’
Similar problems have been felt across other beauty spots in the UK such as the Lake District.
In August, visitors were warned they must park ‘considerately’ to allow emergency services access.
Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service said in a post in social media: ‘If you’re visiting the Lake District or other busy destinations this Bank Holiday Weekend, please park considerately and in a way that would allow our vehicles to get through in an emergency.’
Heavy snowfall and flooding have sparked travel chaos across the UK over the past week.
Local councils have refused to do waste collections after bins froze in the freezing weather.
Residents in Harborough, Leicestershire, were outraged as crews stopped picking up bins where contents had frozen solid, with rubbish overflowing onto the streets.
Previously the council had told people to leave their bins out for later collection as crews could not complete rounds, but shortly deleted their post issuing this advice.
A new post said: ‘The contents of some household wheeled bins may freeze due to the freezing temperatures expected this weekend. Unfortunately, if the contents of your wheeled bin are frozen solid, our crews will be unable to empty your bin and will not be able to return.’
More alarming weather is anticipated for later this month with a 470-mile influx of snow expected to rock the UK.
Areas from Wick to Manchester are likely to be coated with Inverness also having a possible 7cm of the white stuff.
It comes as Altnaharra, which is in the most northern region of the Highlands, recorded -18.7C on Friday night.
The Met Office said the chilly weather this morning with frost and patchy fog would persist in the east later into the day.
Dry and occasional sunny spells are expected for parts of the south with cloudy weather elsewhere and persistent rain spreading into northwestern Scotland this afternoon. Temperatures near average away from the southeast.