Abandoned by its owners, shown no respect by passersby and ignored by those with the power to help.

It is a hard life being an orphaned road in Richmond.

But residents in Bardolph Road have finally had enough and are demanding Richmond Council start taking responsibility for the borough street by adopting it.

However, the problem is that the council can only “adopt” the road if officers can track down its owners - and staff have been unable to do so for years.

Councillor David Trigg, cabinet member for traffic, transport and parking, said any road that was adopted had to be fit for purpose and not knowing who owned the road made life difficult. “It is a situation I quite understand is fully unacceptable at the moment,” he added.

Residents blame builders merchants Travis Perkins, who have a site nearby, for much of their woes.

Homeowners claim parking spaces are frequently taken up by the firm’s customers, supply trucks block the road completely when unloading - preventing access in an emergency - and goods and materials are dumped at the side of the road because no suitable storage facility exists.

Sheila Carney, who lives in Trinity Cottages, which can only be accessed through Bardolph Road, said: “It is only a matter of time before a serious incident will throw this whole sorry affair into the open.”

She described the council’s excuses about the road having no owner as “lame and unacceptable”.

Ward Councillor, Marc Cranfield-Adams, said warnings about access for emergency services and pleas for help from residents had gone unanswered since 2002.

At a Richmond Council meeting where the issue was raised, he said: “Isn’t it strange that the road can be lit by the utilities, covered by the council in terms of the controlled parking zone and be subject to road markings such as yellow lines, which presumably are policed by wardens or there would be no purpose in spending money on painting them.

“It is a sad indictment of the cabinet member that he and his team have not been able to locate the owners of this road or, in the case of it being unadopted, not to have formally adopted it as they seem to have done in all but name.”

Coun Trigg said parking enforcement had been stepped up, and added: “The council adopting the road is a possibility.”

A Travis Perkins spokesman said it was working with the council to resolve the objections raised by residents and had reduced the number of vehicles going to the site.

“Residents have been informed of these changes and the council is satisfied with the measures taken by us,” he said.