A PARKING scheme for people living near Darlington Football Club's stadium has been hailed a success.

The council-run scheme, which stops fans parking outside people's homes during matches, came into force on Saturday for the Quakers' game against Boston United.

The permit scheme, for residents to the north of Reynolds Arena, should have been in place at the start of the season but was delayed because of financial wrangling between the council and the club.

Jan Mazurk, chairwoman of the Neasham Road Action Group, said the scheme had worked very well on Saturday.

She said: "I didn't see any problem with supporters' cars anywhere. The roads were clear and the fans were well behaved. They could have done it right from the start."

Inspector Alan Davidson, from Darlington police, said: "There were no arrests and Boston brought very few fans. We certainly didn't get any complaints about parking, which we have experienced on previous match days."

Mrs Mazurk said fans were still parking on the grass verges along the A66 bypass.

"Wait until it gets dark and then it will be very dangerous for people walking back to their cars," she said.

Some fans experienced delays leaving the Reynolds Arena after the match, which Darlington won three-nil.

Tony Taylor, from Darlington Supporters' Trust, said he waited 45 minutes to exit the ground.