A Coseley butcher has taken matters into his own hands to stop railway commuters filling up a free car park.

Mark Broadbent says it means shoppers are unable to park costing businesses trade over the past 12 months. 

He says his concerns have fallen on deaf ears at the council forcing him to block off the entrance to the car park with his van every morning until about 8:30am. Mr Broadbent, who owns Broadbent L&M butchers in Coseley, said:

“I’ve heard people are travelling from as far away as Wombourne to park here to get the train to Wolverhampton because they haven’t got to pay.

“They’re filling the car park up by half past eight and when people who are coming to do their shopping, there’s nowhere to park

“I’ve been pulling my van across the car park and then moving it - we get a lot better trade that way.“

The trader, who has been at the shop for the last 27 years and owned it for the last three, called for action to be taken.

He added: “I’d like a minimum stay or something put on it, I’ve been speaking to the council on and off now for over 12 months. Nothing has beeen done to be honest.”

However local resident, Brian Collier, said: “I use the train every day to commute to Birmingham. This is a free, public event car park - I’ve got as much right as anyone to use it.

”The two car parks at Coseley station are free as well. People are only parking here because there are no spaces elsewhere.

”Whilst I sympathise with [Mr Broadbent], putting restrictions on parking times could be as counter productive to local businesses as anyone else. If I there’s a minimum stay of 30 minutes and I’ve just popped into town to buy some of his meat, I’m going to get fined.”