It has been called Havering’s greenest building, but residents living near the new Myplace centre in Harold Hill are seeing red over traffic chaos they say it has caused.

People in Dagnam Park Drive say that traffic came to a standstill on Saturday as more than 100 parents dropped their children off at the same time at the youth centre.

They believe that traffic misery could become a regular issue because of a lack of parking space.

Resident Neil Wright said: “It was absolute carnage. People were stopping in the middle of the road with their doors open, others parking on the wrong side of the road and it was just chaotic. I thought that someone was going to be knocked down.”

The centre opened last month and was hailed as the greenest building in Havering. However, it has just 11 parking spaces.

Coaches

The misery started on Saturday from 10am when residents say more than 100 parents dropped their children off at the centre, blocking people’s driveways, stopping in the middle of the road to let their children out and double parking.

The problems then continued, it is said, when three coaches turned up and parked on a driveway and then bus lanes.

Resident Sarah Backhurst said: “It was mayhem. There were people doing U-turns in the road and I had to come out of my house a number of times to ask people to stop blocking my curb.”

She added: “Then there was almost a war because of two drivers arguing over a parking space.”

The centre was built following a consultation with residents who asked for more activities for young people.

Cllr Robert Benham, cabinet member for community empowerment, said:“We are sorry to hear that residents have had problems with people parking on their road. We are reviewing the number of car parking spaces available at the centre and our parking enforcement officers will monitor the situation in Dagnam Park Drive.”