Elderly Fakenham residents fear an ambulance would be unable to drive up to their homes after a bollard has been installed to prevent people parking outside them.

People living in bungalows off Lancaster Avenue complained that a grassed area outside their homes was flooding after heavy rain. Beforehand, some residents drove and parked their cars on the site.

Sadie Boyce, who lives in one of the houses, complained that the path outside became a river after recent downpours. Victory Housing, which owns the properties, installed the bollard after a site visit.

In a letter to Mrs Boyce, Victory’s project manager Barney Lee said: “The work is being undertaken due to the increasing health and safety risk of cars driving along the footpath and the continued damage being done by cars driving over the grassed area.

“Any previous permissions for driveways will also be revoked at this time. I appreciate this will cause a level of inconvenience. However, as previously advised, this footpath and grassed area were never designed to be driven over and parked on.”

But Mrs Boyce said when she was taken ill after the bollard arrived, an ambulance crew had to push her 100yds up the path in a wheelchair in the rain because the vehicle could not get to her property.

John Archibald, chief executive of Victory Housing Trust, said: “We have installed the bollard at Lancaster Avenue in response to residents’ concerns about cars parking on the grass verge, which as well as causing the ground to become churned up, represented a health and safety hazard.

“The bollard will not stop emergency vehicles being able to get close to the homes. Ambulances attending residential premises do not need to stop right by the front door.””