A BEAMINSTER man says he has been left unable to access his house due to inconsiderate parking from drivers outside his property. 

Armands Woods, who lives on the corner of Hogshill Street and Shadrack Street, added he has also been 'kept awake at night' due to speeding traffic along the 20mph main road.

The house has a wall running around the junction of the two roads with a gate opening on to the main highway with double yellow lines - the only route into Mr Woods' home.

But he says he has struggled to get in and out with his bicycle and even received verbal abuse from motorists who are illegally parked on double yellow lines and blocking the gate in Shadrack Street. 

The area is home to some nearby shops and Mr Woods says he is forced to wait for drivers to go shopping before he can exit or enter his property.

He said he has also witnessed bad parking in Hogshill Street, including delivery drivers taking up the width of the narrow pavement space. 

"I have been complaining to Dorset Council for some time about people blocking our gate," Mr Woods said.

"I have to wait for the person to come back shopping and I even get abuse from the drivers. It has been going on for years.

"I just want them to have respect for other people's property and stop parking dangerously."

Mr Woods is also complaining about drivers speeding through the west Dorset town during the night - claiming some have reached speeds of up to 60mph along the 20mph route in Hogshill Street, which was partially closed this week for electricity works.

"I can't really sleep and because of all the lorries going through, the houses are shaking," he said.

"It is a residential area; there is no point in speeding - go to a race track and speed. 

"The pavements are so small and you are just waiting until somebody is going to get killed."

Beaminster Town Council plans to submit a bid to Dorset Council to extend the 20mph zones through the town.

But Mr Woods was concerned about the effect this would have and called for more physical measures to combat speeding drivers, such as speed bumps. 

"Sometimes they are going 60mph - I am not exaggerating," he added.

Another concern raised by Mr Woods was that his street would be used as a 'rat run' by motorists looking to avoid the lengthy diversion while Hogshill Street is closed until February 17. 

He said he planned to hold a protest at his property with neighbours if this was the case. 

A Dorset Council spokesperson said: "This area is part of our regular patrols, and any vehicle found to be parked incorrectly will be issued with a parking ticket.

"We can discuss the details of the problem further with the resident affected if they would like to contact us.

"Restrictions such as speed limits and traffic calming are often emotive subjects, and we ask that any requests are passed through local parish and town councils or the elected ward councillor."

On rat run concerns in Shadrack Street, the council added: "It is not possible to close Shadrack Street as residents will need to be able to access their properties.

"We urge drivers to follow the signed diversion that will be in place and to allow extra time for any delays."