A parkers' paradise will remain residents' living hell after money to introduce new yellow lines in Colchester ran out.

Residents, fed-up with trying to manoeuvre around parked cars, called for yellow lines to be put down in Nayland Road, near Leeches Lane and Littlecotes, Wryneck Close, Bartholomew Mews and Cromer Mews off Mile End Road.

They won the support of Mile End councillors Martin Goss and Anne Turrell and it was agreed to begin the procedure to get the parking restrictions in place.

But now it has been revealed they will not be brought in until next April at the earliest because there is no money in Essex County Council's kitty to advertise the schemes.

The county council is legally bound to put proposed changes out to public consultation.

To add insult to injury, Mr Goss said the Mile End schemes were not included in the latest round of parking restrictions introduced in High Woods because the area, which is covered by Myland Parish Council, was considered to be rural.

Mr Goss said: "It is ridiculous and totally unacceptable.

"We have waited for two years in some places and now the county council has run out of money in the budget to advertise them.

"The roads are a nightmare. The residents who live there are hit by a double whammy of people parking there to use Colchester North Station and others parking to go to Colchester General Hospital. That makes it dangerous for people trying to pull out.

"If the suggested restrictions had been advertised with the High Woods ones, they would have gone through by now.

"They have the money to paint the lines but they don't have any money for the consultation."

Mrs Turrell, who is leader of Colchester Council, added: "It is really pathetic.

"What a situation to get into where you can't advertise safety measures for a road."

A spokeswoman for Essex County Council said: "We get many requests across the county for waiting restrictions and we have to prioritise our work.

"We batch these schemes together to advertise them because as a council we have a duty to the taxpayer to get the best value for money possible.

"It is a legal requirement for us to advertise so we can listen to any objections the public may have.

"Where the number of requests exceed the level that can be dealt with in any one year, the outstanding ones will be rolled forward for consideration in the next year."

The county council added existing priorities accounted for the full use of the budget this year, however, if circumstances changed, some proposals could be brought forward.