Wells City Council is gearing up to crack down on pavement parking in the heart of the city.

Plans are being drawn up to make it an offence to park on the pavement on Sadler Street and High Street, after mounting concerns about lorries and vans blocking the way for pedestrians.

The move would see changes to the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) and could also scrap Blue Badge parking in the loading bays, freeing up space for delivery drivers and keeping pavements clear.

The city's Traffic Calming Working Group says vans and lorries mounting the kerbs are not only putting pedestrians at risk, but also wrecking paving slabs, creating trip hazards in some of the busiest parts of Wells.

The crackdown is part of a wider plan to tackle traffic chaos in the city centre. Other proposals on the table include moving the bus stop at the bottom of Sadler Street to the coach drop-off area, creating a new pedestrian crossing at the corner of Sadler Street and High Street, and installing another crossing on Princes Road outside Tesco.

All the changes are linked to the Wells Neighbourhood Plan, which highlighted traffic calming as one of the top ten priorities for the city.

Councillors on the Planning and Environment Committee backed the proposals at their meeting on 17 April and agreed to push them forward to a Full Council vote, expected in May. If approved, the council will start formal talks with Somerset Highways to hammer out the details.