SO many people want to use an award winning park in Devizes that parking has turned into a bit of nightmare for both visitors and those who live nearby.

But Devizes town council's direct services manager Sarah Williams, who is in charge of Hillworth Park, is doing her best to keep everyone happy by putting up warning posters and protecting people's driveways with cones.

She said: "It is a difficult one. We have asked Wiltshire Council to put yellow lines along Queens Road but we don't know when this will happen. So in the meantime we have created posters asking people to walk to the park if at all possible.

"At weekends when it is sunny or when we have an event on we are also putting out cones. Most people who drive to the park are very considerate of the residents but we have had instances of drivers parking over driveways which of course is very annoying.

She said there had been criticism that when the park underwent a major revamp the car park was not made bigger but she said for it to accommodate everyone at its busiest times it would have had to take up a large chunk of the park itself.

She said: "In many ways we are a victim of our own success."

That success got event greater last week when the park got a five star award in the Pride of Parks competition. The contest run by Southwest In Bloom and the Royal Horticultural society is awarded to parks and open spaces that demonstrate good community involvement, excellent maintenance and development, and care of the environment.

Devizes Mayor Roger Giraud-Saunders said he was delighted that the park had won the award, but was not surprised. He said: “Hillworth Park is a superb facility, which is enjoyed by all members of our community. The team work hard all year round to keep the park to such a high standard and thoroughly deserve this award."

The next event at Hillworth will be Plant In The Park on May 14 from 10am to 2pm. Children will be encouraged to plant a mini-garden, decorate their pot and fill it with Hillworth Park’s own compost. There will also be opportunities to pot some seeds, guess which seeds grow into which plant and to see how many worms are in the soil.

The Devizes and Roundway In Bloom committee will be on hand to offer plenty of gardening advice too.