RESIDENTS are organising a protest march over delays to a parking permit scheme around Darlington Football Club's new stadium.

The Northern Echo revealed on Saturday that a dispute over the cost of the residential permit system, north of the Reynolds Arena, will not be in place for two months.

The club was obliged under the planning conditions for the ground to meet the cost of a scheme, while Darlington Borough Council would issue the permits.

However, the two parties have been unable to reach an agreement over how much the club should pay towards the scheme.

The delay has angered residents in the Neasham Road area, who plan a protest march on Saturday afternoon.

They hope police will not object to the march, which will provisionally start at 2pm at the bridge in Neasham Road. It will then proceed to Bank Top before returning to the stadium area.

Resident Jan Mazurk, who was part of an action group campaigning against several elements of the stadium project, said: "We don't believe the police could penalise residents for taking to the streets, as there will be thousands of football fans in this area on match days anyway."

The permit scheme will not be ready for up to two months and, in the meantime, police will enforce no parking regulations in several streets near the stadium.

Many people face a difficult situation because officers will not distinguish between fans and residents - effectively preventing residents from parking outside their own homes.

A meeting about the issue is planned for August 14 and letters of complaint have been sent to the Local Government Ombudsman and the Football Association.

A club spokesman said that it was still negotiating with the council over the cost of the scheme.