A woman was left stunned when a parent on the school run decided to park in her drive before dropping his child off.

Melanie Preston Lewis, of Abercorn Road, Stanmore, couldn’t believe her eyes when the grey BMW pulled up and used it as a temporary parking space.

She noted how, living near Stanburn Primary School, there is a lot of unavoidable disruption in the morning and mid-afternoon but thought this incident was “a bit much”.

While she was surprised to see the car’s owner brazenly park outside her home, his reaction when she questioned his actions left her equally shocked.

“He just looked at me and I think he was quite cross that I had decided to say something as opposed to letting it go,” he said.

“He said he had ‘only been a minute’ before looking at me again. He then said ‘what do you want me to do? Sorry’ before driving off.”

Melanie explained that she is used to people pulling up near her drive or using it to turn around in.

She added that, in most cases, it doesn’t bother her provided she can get in and out when she or her family needs to.

She said: “I take the view that so long as I can use the drive when I need to then that’s fine.

“Otherwise you’re living in a perpetual war zone running in and out and battling with people and their cars.”

Melanie, who acts as secretary for the Belmont Safer Neighbourhood Team, has lived in Abercorn Road for the past 20 years and said the school run chaos would in no way force her out of her long term home.

She, along with her neighbours, has been in touch with the school and she noted that, while in the past they have had issues, the staff are as helpful as they can be.

“It’s an ongoing problem but, realistically, what more can the school do?” she said.

“They were very sweet when I phoned them earlier and they maintain a good relationship with their neighbours.  

“At my kids’ school they used to trace the number plate and name and shame the parents in the newsletter. I’m not sure you could get away with that now.”