A 99-YEAR-OLD churchgoer is prepared to lie down in the road in protest over parking attendants who targeted Easter weekend worshippers.

Alicia Wilson, from Darlington, said she will take the action in defence of Northgate United Reformed Church.

On Easter Sunday, Miss Wilson, daughter of Darlington war hero Captain Hugh Russell Wilson, had to plead with the parking attendants not to put a ticket on her car, which she said was parked legally outside the church.

They relented, but had already booked another worshipper on Good Friday.

The man had returned to his car after a service had overrun to find a parking ticket on his windscreen.

The Reverend Tjarda Murray said the very future of the establishment was under threat because the parking attendants would not leave her congregation alone. Ms Murray said: “I’m quite happy to go out with a paint brush and some black paint and get rid of the markings as a form of protest.

“Miss Wilson said she was willing to lie in the road – as long as someone can help her back up. We are so frustrated.”

Ms Murray contacted The Northern Echo in August, last year after revised markings meant hearses were unable to park outside the church during funerals.

Although that problem was resolved, she said the issue had not gone away.

Because the amount of parking has been reduced outside the church, the congregation must now pay to park in a nearby car park.

She said this affects people who have not got the means to pay.

“It is getting to the point where we cannot hold services,”

she said. “It’s crazy. We have had to stop some outreach work. When we worship, people are targeted.”

A spokeswoman for Darlington Borough Council, which operates traffic enforcement, said: “While it is regrettable some residents are experiencing frustration at the car parking regulations, they have been put in place to manage car parking and safe road use throughout the borough.

“If members of the congregation wish to contact the council to discuss any issues, they are welcome to do so.”