PEOPLE living in central Worcester have spurned an offer of car park passes, describing them as an "insult".

The council has invited residents in Edgar Street, Severn Street and College Precincts to pay £10 to leave their vehicles overnight in the nearby King Street car park.

A letter to Worcester City Council, signed by 22 people, branded its actions as an "insult" that ignored "every effort of residents to make their plight understood".

"It does nothing to alleviate our biggest problem - where to put our cars on Saturdays and weekdays," said Edgar Street resident Eleanor Allen.

"Where are we supposed to park between 8am and 6pm? We already have to play hide and seek with the traffic wardens.

"We already get parking tickets for leaving our cars outside our own homes.

"My husband got a £20 fine this week because he left the car half-an-hour longer than the 45-minute limit."

Residents living near the Cathedral were bracing themselves for increased competition for spaces, she said.

"The Warner cinema in Friar Street has only been open a few days and to be honest the streets have been quieter than usual," said Mrs Allen.

"But we're fearful about cinema-goers taking over these streets."

Andy Walford, the council's principal engineer, said residents had not been allowed permits to park outside their homes during the day or on Saturdays as this would deprive the authority of income.

"We'd have to charge the residents a lot more for their permits if we did that," he said.

"We identified the evenings as being when problems would set in, mainly due to the new cinema.

"What has been proposed is meant to be a temporary measure, introduced on a 'suck it and see' basis.

"Everyone is going to have to be flexible, including the residents."

A working party would meet to discuss the problem on Tuesday, November 28, Mr Walford added.