SCHOOL-run parents have been left fuming after a pub landlord put up bollards to stop them using its car park.
The owner even threatened to stop families from parking outside the bar altogether after claiming to have been verbally abused by them.
Worcestershire parents say it's one of the only safe spots to drop off their youngsters and slammed being cut off.
But, the heated row seems to have stemmed from a misunderstanding.
For years the Tabolt pub’s 40-space car park has served parents unable to nab one of the few parking spots outside nearby Kempsey Primary School.
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And in return they have made the pub their local watering hole.
But it has recently come under new management and parents were horrified to find bollards blocking them from entering the car park on the first day their youngsters went back to school.
The families were up in arms and it turned into a massive row between them and the landlord.
One parent, who asked not to be named, told The Sun Online: "For a lot of people it was a terrible start to the new school year.
"The pub is on a main A-road next to the only pedestrian crossing in the village so their car park has been a safe space to park and walk to the school.
"They get a lot of business from us parents so I think people just felt outraged by seeing bollards and a bit panicked."
But, the pub says the bollards are only a temporary measure - however, if they keep being "verbally abused" by parents they'll consider something permanent.
The pub came was snapped up by new owners last month who revealed plans to serve the village.
They said they wanted to battle the cost-of-living crisis, and the pressure it's putting on the hospitality industry, by adding extra features like a bouncy castle and "Fizz Fridays".
But they're also renovating the pub and its grounds - hence why the car park is closed in the mornings in January.
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Mum-of-three Tammy Price, 52, said: "It all kicked off because of the bollards.
"From what I know, one of the mums thought the pub had shut the car park off because of previous warnings about closing the car park if parents could not behave.
"In fact they were only closing the car park for a short period in the morning to allow for renovation work to take place. People just got their wires crossed.
"I drink there as do a lot of others and they are planning to put in a bouncy castle to attract more of us.
"I think it is a real shame that some people have been rude to the landlord because we are lucky to be able to park here.
"They are lovely people who run the pub and are planning to do a lot to improve the village."
'VERBALLY ABUSED'
Pub bosses had posted to Facebook: "The Talbot car park is not a public car park, it belongs to the pub and is for our customers.
"From January 4 to January 24, we planned work taking place on-site. The car park is not to be used during the hours of 6am and noon to allow our contractors access and works to be completed.
"If we continue to be verbally abused by members of the public over parking then we’ll close the car park until opening hours for the foreseeable future.
"We have reported the individuals this morning to the school. We will not tolerate any abuse and we will name and shame those responsible if it continues."
However, the post has since been taken down.
The school's headteacher Bryony Baynes said the landlord had also approached her about the way some parents had been acting.
She described the incident as "unfortunate".
Ms Baynes, who leads the 400-student primary school, told Worcester News: "The landlord came to speak to us this morning and was very reasonable and pleasant about the situation.
"It was our first day back at school today and it appears some parents did not behave appropriately, which is unfortunate.
"We have had an unwritten agreement with the pub for many years that parents can use the car park in the mornings and afternoons to collect and drop off their children."
'UNWRITTEN AGREEMENT'
But parents claimed the "unwritten agreement" had come under pressure since the arrival of the new managers.
One 36-year-old mum of two, who did not want to be named, said: "It began when he asked parents not to park at the front of the car park so those spaces could be exclusively for customers.
"Some parents were apparently even using the disabled spaces.
"He told me that when he had asked parents to move their cars he got people swearing at him and rolling their eyes.
"It is an important place for the parents and they are lucky to have it but equally the pub are lucky to have the parents because they either go very quickly or stay and have a drink.
"There is just inadequate parking near the school. It is carnage parking any nearer than this – incredibly busy and dangerous when you are marshalling small children."
Another mum, teaching assistant Heidi Wardman said: "Parking spaces are at a premium on the school run because there is no designated parking outside the school.
"We as parents have come to rely on the pub car park as a handy place where we can park just five minutes from the school gate.
"It’s a privilege and I think it is quite out of order for some parents to abuse the guys from the pub. Being rude and aggressive is not the way to handle things."
