A MAN has slammed the parking provision in Worcester city centre, saying the lack of parking for motorhomes puts a lot of people off visiting the city.

Mark Stephens said he visits Worcester from his home in Kidderminster most Mondays in his motorhome.

He says he usually parks in Croft Road car park, where there are four dedicated motorhome spaces.

"I turned up on Monday and they were all filled with cars. So I called the Worcestershire Hub and asked if I could park in one of the HGV spaces, saying I would pay the £5 to park there.

"But they said I couldn't. Sometimes they say I can and sometimes I can't. I don't know of anywhere else in Worcester I could legally park it for a few hours. I visit Worcester most Mondays because it's my day and it's one of my favourite places to go. I can't take the car because my wife needs it for work. I spend a lot of money in the city, but a battle to park has put me off visiting.

"I'm part of an online motorhome group that has more than 20,000 members, and this will put them off visiting Worcester too. They often ask if it's worth visiting because they want to shop and see the cathedral, but when they find out they can't park they won't bother. It's terrible for tourism. People don't want the hassle and it really should be easier than this."

David Sutton, service manager for Cleaner and Greener City with Worcester City Council said: "There are six oversize spaces provided in Croft Road car park which are available for larger vehicles including motorhomes. This is usually sufficient to meet demand in this very popular car park.

"Should the vehicle in question be classified as an LGV (large goods vehicle, formerly known as HGV), then it can be parked in one of the LGV spaces if available.

"Alternatively if a customer wishes to use two parking spaces then we would expect them to pay for both as they are taking up two spaces that could otherwise be used by others. While this is not explicitly stated on our tariff boards, it is practised by caravan users on the rare occasions that the large vehicle bays are full.”