A NARROW residential road was thrown into chaos at the weekend when motorists drove down it to gain access to the newly-opened Rooksbury Mill Park.

Drivers mistakenly thought that they could park nearby – but one resident of Rooksbury Road says the result was chaos.

“It was a nightmare. There was a stream of cars coming down and then drivers found they could not get out again,” she said.

Motorists were forced to back into residential drives to turn round only to meet other cars coming the other way.

The resident praised Test Valley Borough Council for the work it did for the town, but she felt that on this occasion it should have made sure signs and the proposed car park were in place before opening the park.

A spokeswoman for Test Valley Borough Council confirmed there were plans to have signs installed but this had to go through Hampshire County Council’s highways department.

Money had been allocated in this year’s budget to build a car park near the allotments at the top of Barlows Lane. In the meantime she said people should not drive their cars down Rooksbury Road in an attempt to gain access. They could walk or cycle from the town centre and there was pedestrian access to the park from Barlows Lane.

Last month the park was officially opened by the Mayor of Test Valley, Cllr Tony Gentle, following months of intensive work to make the facility safe and suitable for public use.