Heavily congested roads in Watford could soon become busier, after West Herts College students were told there would be no off-street parking when they return to class.

Students who study at Cassio campus in Langley Road have received letters informing them they will no longer have use of the on-site car park.

Spaces have been unavailable at the neighbouring Hempstead Road campus since the beginning of 2008, due to ongoing construction work.

The staff car park there has now also been given up, to allow constructors to build a new access road, and the college has decided that the Cassio campus car park will now be a staff-only facility until 4pm.

There will also be no car park for students at the Kings Langley campus in Home Park Mill Link Road.

However, there will still be disabled spaces at both Watford locations, and spaces for visitors to the restaurant and Hair Academy in Langley Road.

The college has encouraged students to use town centre car parks and public transport.

But one resident, whose daughter is studying at Cassio campus, said that students would inevitably park in residential roads.

She said: “You're not going to have 17-year-olds driving to college and paying £7 [a day] to park. The roads are going to get so congested.

“I'm livid. It's absolutely obvious what's going to happen. All the roads are going to be gridlocked with kids parking in the roads. And there could be a knock-on effect for parents trying to drop their kids off at nearby schools.”

Nascot ward councillor Andrew Mortimer said he and fellow councillors Andrew Forrest and Mark Watkin had been consulting with college officials.

He said: “The problem is that even without the college there's a major problem in Nascot. In my opinion the CPZ (controlled parking zone) is too small. But as with all these things, we don't solve the problem, we move it.

“The college itself is a major, major problem. I think the CPZ in Nascot will be widened. The college is spilling out hundreds of cars a day and it's causing very deep frictions.”

West Herts College principal Elizabeth Rushton explained that students were informed of the parking changes before the start of their summer holidays. Those who intend to study at West Herts from September have also been notified.

She said: “While the majority of West Herts College students already travel to us by public transport, bike or on foot, or are dropped off by parents/guardians, our staff will also be on hand during the first few weeks of term to help students plan their journey to us.

“We do, of course, realise that public transport may sometimes be more expensive than travelling by car. However, as a Government-funded organisation, the college must ensure that it uses its funding to ensure a high-quality learning environment for our students, and cannot directly subsidise travel costs. We have contacted the local transport providers in the area in the hope that they may be able to provide further discounts or other incentives to encourage more people to use their services.

“We have also spoken to the local ward councillors for Park and Nascot Ward, plus Mayor Dorothy Thornhill and others at Watford Borough Council and we will continue to work with them as best we can to limit the additional burden put on the already congested local roads.”

Last month the Watford Observer revealed West Herts had decided to scrap its A-Level courses.