DOUBLE yellow lines are to be painted in a Hatfield road that has been blighted by traffic problems.

The parking restrictions will come into force in Bishops Rise in the new year, after the county council finally came to the aid of exasperated residents.

The Welwyn Hatfield Times reported in October how police had to be called to deal with the issue after three buses got stuck on the same stretch of road within an hour-and-a-half of each other.

Cllr Kieran Thorpe, the Labour group leader on Welwyn Hatfield Council, vowed back then to take the county council to task on the matter.

This week, Cherry Way resident Maureen Allen contacted the Welwyn Hatfield Times to say parking problems got worse in term time, as university students left their cars in Bishops Rise to avoid paying charges at the nearby park-and-ride on Angerland Common.

And, as students were parking anywhere they could – including on speed bumps in the road – it made driving up and down “extremely difficult”.

Mrs Allen said: “It’s ludicrous, absolutely ludicrous.”

A Hertfordshire County Council spokeswoman said: “We have been through an informal consultation will local members, both borough and county, residents, the emergency services and bus operators on a proposal to put in double yellow lines on this road.

“The consultation ended on December 3 and we are now assessing the feedback and as long as there are no major objections to overcome, we hope to put in yellow lines in the new year.”

She added: “Once the lines are in, we will monitor the area for six months to assess the impact of the scheme.”

In response, Mrs Allen told the WHT: “At least they are going to do something.

“It’s obviously not going to solve all the problems, but it’s a long way to helping with the parking there.”