A ROW has broken out between residents and Southampton City Council after a green space turned into a “quagmire”.

Residents of Atherfield Road are demanding action after years of looking at the “eyesore”.

They argue the mud gets “everywhere” in the winter while in the summer it becomes a dustbowl.

One couple say they have had to change from Virgin to BT after flooding damaged their internet connection.

Campaigner John Wale, 53, says the flooded pathways are a health and safety concern, and says the mud is “depressing.”

He said: “It just gets everywhere. In the summer it’s a dustbowl.”

Residents have also been campaigning for years for Southampton City Council to add more parking in front of their houses.

Mr John Wale said the number of residents and car owners has increased since he moved there in 2005, and the five spaces for 12 houses is now insufficient.

The dad-of-two said: “When I first moved here it was a lot of older people who didn’t all have cars. Now there are more younger people, and of course more cars, but nowhere to park.

“You can sometimes find a space on the road if you’re lucky, but sometimes you have no choice but to park on the grass.

“People shouldn’t park there of course, but sometimes you have no choice.”

He added: “It’s the nonchalance of the council that’s the real bugbear.”

Residents say they have had cars damaged when left on the road, with drivers using the road as a “bolthole” to get from Lower Brownhill to Green Lane and no traffic calming enforcements in place.

They say many drivers ignore the 20mph speed limit.

But Millbrook councillor Cathie McEwing said residents haven’t come to her about the issue for two to three years.

And she said the council can’t pay for extra parking bays if a certain percentage of houses are privately owned.

She said: “It’s an eyesore. But the council just doesn’t have the money.

“One parking bay costs £5,000 but it depends what’s underneath the ground as well.

“We funded parking bays on one of the blocks of flats on Atherfield Road because that was funded by housing revenue income because more than 60 per cent were council tenants. But we can’t use that money to do houses that are privately owned.”

Mr Wale said the group have not been told that before and said: “It’s just a blip - we won’t throw the towel in.”