Station parking protester Jan Thornton has been told by Great Bedwyn Parish Council to shut up and go away after members decided her campaign to stop rail commuters parking on the estate where she lives had become “vexatious”.

Mrs Thornton was instrumental in setting up The Knapp Residents Association and leading a so-far unsuccessful campaign to get double yellow lines to prevent commuters parking outside their homes blocking access, she said, for carers and doctors.

Last November the tenants association told the Gazette they were getting little support from the parish council, claiming it was blocking any move to improve parking near the station for residents of The Knapp.

The issue has since escalated into an all-out confrontation between the parish council and Mrs Thornton, 53, resulting in the authority declaring The Knapp tenants’ campaign to be vexatious and saying it will no longer respond to letters or emails from Mrs Thornton.

Great Bedwyn Parish News has already declared it will not publish any correspondence from The Knapp other than what is reported in parish council minutes.

This has led to Philip Blunt, who lives in Brook Street, writing to the Gazette. He said: “Where’s democracy and free speech when we need it?”

Mr Blunt, who runs an IT consultancy, said: “The parish council, the Parish News and the Bedwyn Railway Passenger Group are doing their best to silence Jan.

“This grubby little proposal smacks of an organisation silencing someone who is making life awkward for them... a shame on the council members behind this.”

Council chairman Roger Durie confirmed the council had declared the residents’ association and Mrs Thornton “vexatious” and would not respond to any further letters or emails from them.

Coun Durie said: “She keeps on writing emails and letters no matter what we do and we would do exactly the same with anyone else who acted in this way.”

Mrs Thornton said her letters and emails were neither aggressive nor offensive. She said she had lodged complaints with the Standards Board about both the council and Coun Durie and said: “They have tried every which way to gag me but I am not giving up.”