Residents gather in parking protest at seaside town against Clevedon's 'Wiggly Lines'

• Watch Rob Murphy's report

Motorists angered by Clevedon's new 'Wiggly Line' parking system have staged an unusual demonstration - by leaving their cars facing the sea.

This was how cars were parked for years until North Somerset Council introduced a new system last year.

Vehicles must now left parallel to the shore which has infuriated residents and prompted a 6,000 signature petition.

Chris Berry, a protestor, said: "They used to be park like this before all the changes. And there was a great capacity here for 50, 60 cars.

"Since the changes, it's reduced significantly.

"We wanted to park the way that it used to be parking out to sea. Many residents I spoke to last night who were parking up included a number of elderly people who used to park up here to enjoy the view - and now we're not able to."

North Somerset Council said the lines are there to make the road feel narrower and slow down traffic.

A council spokesperson said: "The lines are a design feature to reduce the potential abuse of parking at these locations and help make the road feel narrower, which is a technique used to slow traffic speeds.

"In this case, the area is adjacent to the sailing club entrance so needs to be kept clear.

"A wavy line provides uncertainty to the driver and is proven to help reduce unwanted parking."

Campaigners, locals, and businesses say the scheme is unnecessary and a waste of money, making the seafront more dangerous and has had a detrimental impact on trade.

Their concerns have been supported in a report by the highways consultant who has highlighted a number of safety concerns about the scheme.

One resident said it would cost around £50,000 to revert the parking to its old system.