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Tony Harris and his guide dog, Dobby, have been forced to walk on the main road near their house in Cwmcarn due to parked cars blocking the pavement.

The pair live on Tribute Avenue, and often find themselves walking into the road – which Mr Harris explained has left him both injured and fearful for the future.

Speaking to Caerphilly Observer he said: “I moved here 20 years ago and the situation wasn’t great then, but it has got much worse recently.

“Cars are parked completely on the pavement and it’s made it impossible for us to avoid the road. There’s a post box less than 200 yards from my house but I can’t get to it because of cars. This means I have to walk 15 minutes to the post office, usually on the main road.”

At the start of the year, the Welsh Government’s deputy minister for climate change, Lee Waters, announced the government was looking to address pavement parking and enforce tougher measures by the end of 2023.

However this has since been postponed with the government’s focus now on the implementation of the 20mph speed limit switch across Wales.

Cath Lewis, policy and campaign manager for Guide Dogs Cymru said: “We are disappointed by the Welsh Government’s decision to delay its plans to give local authorities powers to fine pavement parkers in Wales.

“Guide dog owners rely on clear and accessible pavements to walk around safely. If there is no space on a pavement, they may be forced to step into the road and walk into oncoming traffic.

“For vision impaired people, unexpected clutter or cars parked on the pavement are extremely dangerous. This can cause a collision with a parked vehicle or even put pedestrians at risk from moving cars, as they may not hear silent electric vehicles.

“Guide Dogs Cymru is campaigning for clear, consistent measures to prevent unnecessary pavement parking so that vision impaired people can access their local communities and get out and about safely and independently like anyone else. We should all have that right.”

Mr Harris explained how he’s tried to change things by himself over the years with no success. He said: “When I’ve contacted the police they’ve shown up and given a warning but people aren’t bothered.

“A traffic warden posted out a few leaflets some years ago but it still hasn’t changed anything. We need tougher penalties that act as a deterrent to motorists.”

Mr Harris is also concerned for his dog’s safety. He added: “Dobby is brilliant and like all guide dogs he’s trained to avoid obstacles on the pavement.

“That does mean however that we have to go onto the road. I hold him close and stick as close to the cars as possible which has meant I’ve hit my arm and even my head a few times on the wing mirrors of parked cars. It’s flat out dangerous.

“It’s not just people like me however. I’ve seen people with pushchairs and even children forced onto the busy road.”

When asked what powers Caerphilly County Borough Council has in relation to parking, a spokesperson said: “Although the council’s civil enforcement officers have the power to enforce obstructive parking, they can only do so when there are parking restrictions in force, or when individual residents have complained that their driveways are being obstructed.

“It is an offence under the Highways Act to cause an obstruction to users of the road, including pedestrians, which gives the police the power to prosecute offenders whether there are parking restrictions in force or not.”