A ROW over a parking space between neighbours has sparked a police probe after it resulted in a van being parked on a "dangerous" bend.

Neil Cheetham said he is forced to park the vehicle outside his home after Bernad Elcox refused to let him use a track that runs alongside their rural terrace in Sandy Lane, Brindle, near Blackburn.

And he has placed a sign on the back apologising to drivers who are forced to veer on to the other side of the road on the sharp left-hand bend.

Today, Chorley Council confirmed the problem involved a long-running planning dispute. And police said they were looking at the situation to see if any offence was being committed.

When Mr Elcox, who lives in Moss Farm, applied for permission to redevelop the barn behind his and Mr Cheetham's homes in 1991, he included a parking space behind Mr Cheetham's house in the scheme.

But a row over hedges led to Mr Elcox withdrawing the offer. But Mr Cheetham carried on parking his van on the track next to his house, which he says he had done for about 15 years.

When the barn was converted several years ago and Mr Cheetham complained to the council about the failure to include a parking space, planning officers brokered a verbal agreement that would allow him to continue parking on the track.

But that agreement dissolved last weekend with a disagreement over repairing a sewer. Mr Cheetham said: "The council got a verbal agreement but now Mr Elcox has changed his mind because I won't pay to have a drain fixed.

"I don't want there to be an accident but I can't park it anywhere else."

Mr Elcox confirmed there had previously been an agreement over parking but refused to comment in detail. He said: "I am sorry it has come to this and where that van is makes it a danger to the public."

A spokesman for Chorley Police added: "Parking like this is dangerous and foolish. Our officers will be investigating."