by Aline Nassif

aline.nassif@essnmedia.co.uk

Bus drivers are parking illegally on a footpath after being locked out of their own car park.

Metrobus staff always used to be able leave their cars at their Beddington Lane depot on the Croydon/Sutton border 24 hours a day.

But an influx of new employees left the car park packed and led to bosses deciding to only open it between 6am and 9pm.

Now drivers arriving for shifts before or after these times are parking wherever they can - including the footpath, which doubles as a cycle lane.

The decision to lock up the car park at certain times came after the company took on a new 18-strong fleet of route 75 buses - and more than 40 extra drivers.

Metrobus bosses say they provide sufficient parking spaces and advise employees to make use of a staff bus service which picks employees up and takes them to work from various points along Croydon's tram lines.

A Metrobus driver, who took the picture published here, said: "It's a ridiculous situation.

"Female drivers who have shifts that start at dusk cannot be expected to walk to work.

"It would be too dangerous, and Metrobus should have a duty of care to them.

"Of course I can't condone illegal parking but no person wants to walk to and from what is effectively an industrial site in the dark.

"We are given no choice but to park illegally, but it's not fair on cyclist or pedestrians."

The driver wants Metrobus to reassess the situation.

He added: "Either the bosses build more parking space or they should think more carefully before taking on a new route they can't make adequate provisions for."

A Metrobus spokeswoman insisted there was no need for employees to park on the footpath.

She said: "We believe we have made sufficient parking available at the beginning and end of the day.

"We also encourage the use of our staff bus facility which would also save staff money on petrol."