A four-year-old boy has highlighted a loophole in Burgess Hill's Parking rules which could put pedestrians at risk.

Jamie Green, four, was walking along Church Road, Burgess Hill, with his two-year-old brother Joshua and their grandmother Linda Blaker, when a van pulled on to the pavement to park inches away from them.

Mrs Blaker was forced to pull her grandchildren out of the way to safety. The same thing happened again further down the road when another vehicle mounted the pavement.

Confused because his mum had taught him pavements were for walking on not driving, Jamie, of Chanctonbury Road, Burgess Hill, wrote to the police for an explanation.

His questions have exposed a legal technicality which has left police powerless to enforce yellow line restrictions in Burgess Hill, resulting in a parking free-for-all.

Jamie's letter, written with his grandmother's help, pointed out there were so many vehicles parked along the pavement that there was hardly any left to walk on.

He wrote: "We couldn't even see to cross the road without stepping off the kerb and crossing between two vehicles and I'm not allowed to do that.

"Can you tell me please why we cannot walk on the pavement safely and would you please be kind enough to do something about it? Otherwise I don't think I shall ever, ever be allowed out by myself even when I'm as old as Nana."

Burgess Hill police officer Jon Lelliott wrote back promising he would try to keep pathways clear in future.

He explained the town's parking predicament, telling Jamie: "There are some special yellow lines painted at the sides of the road which are there to stop cars and vans from parking.

"Unfortunately, someone forgot to sign the special piece of paper that goes with them and so police are not allowed to put parking tickets on the naughty cars and vans.

"This means lorry and van drivers who have to get to the shops to deliver things cannot park anywhere. They know they should not park on the pavement but they still do! I tell them to use the car parks!

"I have two children and I feel very angry when drivers do silly things that could cause danger to people. When you grow up and get a car of your own I hope you will always think about other people when you park somewhere in the town."

Mrs Blaker, of Stirling Court Road, Burgess Hill, said: "You would think you would be safe on a pavement but with the parking situation at the moment, I think we've got to the stage where it's every man for himself."

PC Lelliott said: "It's a huge problem in the town. The majority of drivers park willy nilly wherever they want to and heaven help a police officer who tries to tell them not to.

"During the past year or so there have been a couple of accidents and near-misses where people have stepped out from behind cars parked where they shouldn't be.

"People who park on the yellow lines leave delivery drivers with nowhere to park legally and they then go on the pavement.

"All these people think they're not doing anything wrong and they'll be there for just two minutes - but all those two minutes add up."

Motorists have been ignoring restrictions for more than a year knowing the police are unlikely to give them a ticket.

Last year parking in the town was thrown into chaos following a court case which found yellow lines to be legally unenforceable.

West Sussex County Council has carried out a survey but admitted parking restrictions would not be legally enforceable until late autumn at the earliest.

Parking restrictions in the town are meant to be regulated by an order made about 20 years ago.

The system was thrown into confusion following a court case which raised doubts about whether the order was valid or whether the previous one still stood.

A spokesman for the county highways department accepted there was widespread abuse of yellow lines but said police could issue tickets in situations where parking was dangerous or caused congestion.

He stressed parking on pavements was illegal under any circumstances.