A COUNCILLOR has called for action over cars parking on the pavement on Darwen’s main road after concerns were raised that someone could get hurt.

Coun Paul Browne said cars parking on the pavement in Blackburn Road, close to Snape Street and Cavendish Street where the shops are set back, were a danger. The call came after a man said he and his six-year-old son could have been injured when a driver pulled out from the pavement as they were crossing the road.

The Lancashire Telegraph understands the land in front of the shops belongs to the shop owners, entitling them to park outside if they wish.

But the latest incident means police are looking into the safety of the area.

Coun Browne, who lives in nearby Greenway Street, said: “They park all along the pavement around there and it is ridiculous. I don’t think they should be allowed to park there, but I spoke to someone at the council and they said the fronts belong to the shops.

“This was a near-miss but it could have been so much worse.”

Paul Harrison, 42, of Blackburn Road, said his son Blake could have been hurt when a driver used the fact that the pedestrian crossing had stopped traffic to turn around.

He said: “When we got to the crossing there were two cars parked completely on the pavement outside the shops.

“It was busy traffic, so I pressed the button and waited for the green man.

“When it changed for us to cross, a driver who had been parked on the pavement started to cross the road behind us and turn around. I had my son with me. If the driver’s foot had slipped, it would have been a different story.”

Mr Harrison said he had reported the incident to the police.

He added: “It should be safe for children going across the road. If there was a gang of kids going across on their own and something happened, it would be a tragedy.”