RESIDENTS living in Stewarton say the town has become overrun with illegally parked cars after a new restaurant opened.

People living in the town say the opening of the Millhouse in Dean Street has resulted in people dumping their cars in the streets and left pavements blocked.

One resident complained: “The Millhouse parking situation is getting a bit ridiculous.”

Another said: “The Millhouse have a social responsibility. If their car park can’t cope with the demand, then they must advise their customers that it’s not acceptable to block paths and driveways.”

But the restaurant’s owners Buzzworks say they don’t condone anyone parking illegally and say they have been in touch with council chiefs to try and alleviate the problem.

Kenny Blair, managing director of Buzzworks, said: “We are sorry that parked vehicles in the vicinity of the Millhouse in Stewarton are causing issues with regard to visibility and access to pavements. As we have just opened the level of interest is high and this has caused a large amount of cars to be parked around the venue. On top of this we still have some contractors vehicles around the premises which should be gone this week.

“We certainly do not condone anyone breaking road traffic laws or parking dangerously, however we do realise that we are at least partly responsible for causing the problem and we will do all we can within reason to resolve it.

“Today we have contacted Ayrshire Roads Alliance and have a meeting arranged for Wednesday to discuss a solution. 

“We will also do everything we can to communicate to our patrons to park safely and responsibly and to respect the local residents.

“When we chose to purchase the Millhouse and spend a considerable amount of money turning it into a first class facility it was our intention to become part of the local community and not to cause anyone to be unhappy about the business.

“Although we have only been open one week we are encouraged by the response and look forward to co-existing with the local community and being an asset to Stewarton for many years to come.”

Stewart Turner, Head of Ayrshire Roads Alliance, said: “We are aware of some teething troubles with parking since the opening of the Millhouse. Naturally it has been very popular and attracted large numbers of customers in the initial stages. Unfortunately this has resulted in problems with inconsiderate parking. We have spoken to the new proprietor who is very keen to work with us to encourage more use of his 20 space car park to alleviate the problem. We will be meeting with him this week on a site visit to see what assistance we can give to encourage sensible parking, help prevent congestion and avoid further inconvenience to residents and patrons.”