Motorists parking along a quiet lane off Marston Road, Oxford, are have been branded "thoughtless" by neighbours.

Parking along Ferry Lane, near Ferry Road, has become such a problem it is feared emergency vehicles would be blocked if there was an accident.

Oxfordshire County Council said it was powerless to intervene as the lane is private land and the owner has yet to be identified.

Roy Darke, chairman of the New Marston South Residents' Association, said: "There is a real safety issue here that needs to be addressed, but it is very hard to do so without knowing who owns the land. The cars are end to end throughout the day and if there was a fire at one of the houses, I hate to think what would happen.

"They think they can park wherever they like without thinking of others. Most of them get out of their cars and head towards the city centre. We have a good park and ride scheme in the city. Why don't they use that?"

Lawrence Blackburn, owner of Park Farm, which is accessible from the bottom of Ferry Lane, said the parking was jeopardising his livelihood.

Mr Blackburn, 60, said: "Ferry Lane is the only way to access my farm and it's causing real problems for me. I've tried putting timber along the lane to deter cars from parking there, but they just move it."

Mohammed Altaf Khan, councillor for Headington Hill and Northway, lives near Ferry Lane and agrees something needs to be done.

He said: "I personally think the long-term solution is for the county council to adopt the land from whoever owns it."

Oxfordshire County Council said it was trying to find out who was responsible for the lane so that it could negotiate an agreement to enforce parking along it.

Richard Kingshott, the council's assistant principal engineer, said: "In the meantime, the council is to erect signs at the ends of Ferry Road and Edgeway Road which will read 'Private road - no parking beyond this point'. The signs should be erected within the next few days."