"Chaotic" parking outside a popular National Trust property is stopping residents from exiting or entering their homes as roads become "gridlocked".

A resident has spoken out over the "irritating" parking situation when the weather is wet and parking at the National Trust property is restricted.

And the organisation, which has its headquarters in Swindon, has responded. 

John Hubble, who lives near the historic property, said Croome Court has limited hard-standing car parking spaces and, when it rains, the grassland parking becomes water-logged.

Swindon Advertiser: Visitors walking in the road.Visitors walking in the road. (Image: John Hubble)It led the trust to close its overflow parking due to bad weather and soon after, it stopped visitors driving into the grounds when their hard-standing car park was at capacity.

Mr Hubble said visitors then resort to parking on the road outside the property, which had raised safety concerns.

"You have a queue both ways on the road," he said.

"Cars parked on one side, parents with a buggy in the middle of the road and cars trying to get past on the other side.

"It is chaos."

Swindon Advertiser: CHAOS: He said cars are forced to do U-turns on the road.CHAOS: He said cars are forced to do U-turns on the road. (Image: John Hubble)Mr Hubble said he would be able to live with the situation if it occurred only one or two days a year, but so far, it has been every weekend.

He added that sometimes tractors go down the road, which leads to further issues as there is limited space to manoeuvre. 

"The road gets completely blocked.

"It is a bit of a nightmare and irritating for us, but the big problem is when people see adverts and drive 20 or 30 miles only to see that the car park is full.

"People get irritated, and it is a safety issue."

A spokesperson for The National Trust said prolonged periods of wet weather this year have meant at times it has been unable to open its overflow car park due to unsuitable ground conditions.

It added: "To negate this, on busy days, we have a team of staff and volunteers managing the flow of cars, ensuring visitors can find a parking space once one becomes available.

"We also ensure a notice is on our website and social channels, informing visitors of reduced parking.

"Croome is a popular location for people, and we would encourage anyone thinking of visiting to work with us and consider the community on our doorstep.

"If our car park is full, then please do come back another time and avoid parking on local verges, which can also have a detrimental impact on nature."