WITH less than two weeks to go before the start of the football season parking could be thrown into chaos after the council gave a pensioner's scheme the red card.

For the past seven years Stan Geldard has operated a non-profit making car parking scheme on land off Branch Road, about five minutes from Blackburn Rovers' ground Ewood Park.

But when he approached Blackburn with Darwen Council to ask it to trim back the overgrown site ready for the new season his request was refused. Now he has to scrap the scheme.

Stan, 76, said: "I started the scheme when I lived on Branch Road because residents were fed up of all the cars. The council gave permission to use this land. Now it's gone it will be back to chaos again.

"The council said it had no money to cut back the trees and the weeds but with all their equipment it would only take them two hours."

Stan, a former haulage driver who lives in sheltered accommodation in Herbert Street, Blackburn, ran the 38-space car park with meticulous zeal.

He printed permits for his customers. He would also usher the drivers in before kick-off and out again at full time. He boasts of no accidents in the time he ran it.

He said: "They were like a family to me, the same people would come back every year and I got to know them. It would be a shame if it was scrapped. A lot of the people -- particularly pensioners -- would struggle to find somewhere to park now."

Trevor Bishop, property strategy manager with Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "We would be happy to discuss the arrangements for the future of this piece of land if Mr Geldard contacts us."