I’m at war with neighbours over my homemade barricade to block parents dropping kids off at school…it’s ruining our road
ONE man blocked off his residential road with a homemade barricade amid an ongoing battle against school run parents - and his own neighbours.
Derek Woodacer has been warring with parents at the local primary school in Mosley Common, Greater Manchester, over parking for almost three years.
He is outraged by the mums and dads who pause on Commonside Road around school drop-off and pick-up times, claiming they have no right to park there.
The street is unadopted - meaning the residents, not the council, are responsible for paying for any repairs.
Since moving in five years ago, Derek has furiously fought to prevent people parking, by blocking the road with gas cannisters, a homemade barricade and now a horrific pothole.
The drawn-out dispute has caused fights, vandalism, complaints and a massive financial cost, he claimed.
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But some neighbours have called Derek "attention seeking" for his ongoing warcry, claiming he's notorious for his big and bold obstructions that have gone too far.
In the most recent blow to his relentless campaign, the council tore down Derek's enormous barricade blocking the street.
The 65-year-old erected the impressive construction using planters he had collected, tin barrels he'd filled with greenery and stark warning signs about the rules of the road.
Wigan Council removed the vast creation on July 19 after a written warning, so Derek is already searching for his next deterrent to drivers.
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He even dug deeper into a pothole outside his home to put off motorists looking for a quick space to pull up.
Derek told : “When I moved in I thought what the hell is this. The first week I saw a lot of people parking from the school.
"I felt a lot of abuse from parents when I told them they couldn't park there. We have to pay to repair the road and it costs thousands.
“I met every resident on the road and they told me about all the problems. There have been assaults and property damage and we wanted to get this sorted.
“I said this is not acceptable and said there is no point in repairing the road if we can’t stop people parking here."
Derek's neighbours do not all agree with his determined stunts.
He took the task upon himself to protect the parking territory - charging ahead with the barricade even after residents refused to chip in for materials.
After that residents called the bold construction "awful" and voiced concerns that it could be a safety hazard blocking emergency vehicles and bin lorries.
He has blocked the road before, has fights with neighbours, his mouth is disgusting.
Anonymous
One anonymous neighbour said: “He started first by tackling the parking by the school, he puts gas canisters in the road.
"It is minutes they are there dropping off - people understand and would rather children get in school safely.
“He has blocked the road before, has fights with neighbours, his mouth is disgusting.
"Police and council were here for hours when [the barricade] was getting removed.
"The legislation on this road is so old, so people don’t want the stress of this. People have never done this on the road.
“He wants the attention. He made the hole bigger. He is known in the area. He said he is going to antagonise the whole street. It’s draining. I’ve never known anything quite like it.”
Another neighbour Ruby Howard, who has lived on Commonside Road all her life, said Derek's shenanigans have been a constant cause of stress.
She said: “For 16 years we have always had a back and forth [with the school].
At first he was alright and wanted to help with the road, I think he got a bit too passionate.
Ruby Howard
“We all paid for it to be resurfaced, the parents driving up and down and he took it upon himself to put barriers in. That has led to abuse arguments with parents.
“He buys and sells for a living and he started using the space to leave his stuff. It looked awful.
“I contacted the council and have been trying to get it removed for two and a half years. It got to the point where emergency vehicles and bin men couldn’t get through."
The 24-year-old added: “Once he was told to remove the plate [part of the barricade] he started to dig the pothole even more. It has been stressful, people on the street have sleepless nights.
“At first he was alright and wanted to help with the road, I think he got a bit too passionate. He sacked everyone off and wanted to do his own thing.”
Yet Derek's dedication to protecting his parking spaces is never-ending.
“I have more plans in the future," he said. "I have upset enough people. But I just don’t care now.
"I don’t know where this leaves me with the neighbours now. This just makes me more determined to carry on.”
Paul Barton, director for environment at Wigan Council, said: “Following this issue being reported, we have worked with the resident to resolve the situation. The structures were removed, with the support of the resident, on July 19.
“We are grateful to our residents for reporting issues to us and we encourage this. Residents can report issues by visiting: wigan.gov.uk/ReportIt.”
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A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said: “I can confirm that at around 8.30am on July 19, officers received a report of breach of the peace on Commonside Road, Worsely. A man had blocked the road and obstructed drivers.
“Officers and the council attended the scene and removed all obstacles.”
