A COOK van blocked a bus stop on Upper Brook Street in an incident which irritated locals.

At midday on Wednesday, June 5, the vehicle was pictured obstructing the part of the road reserved exclusively for buses.

The van stood just a few metres away from the COOK shop, which sells frozen cooked meals.

Former city councillor Patrick Davies, of Staple Gardens, was among those who noticed the indiscretion.

He said: "The city council must stop these enormous delivery wagons arriving in the middle of the day, obstructing several bus routes and actually parking where the buses should be.

"The council is too weak; the offenders should be dealt with so bus users’ lives are not disrupted.”

(Image: Sebastian Haw)

Blockages by delivery vans are common in the city centre, often leading to build-ups in traffic. St George's Street sees the worst congestion with delivery lorries causing tailbacks along Upper Brook Street and Friarsgate.

A COOK spokesperson said: "We always look to minimise disruption and inconvenience when making our deliveries and operate as efficiently as possible, especially in areas such as Winchester with one-way systems in place and reduced off-road parking.

"We apologise for any disruption and inconvenience caused. We'll look into this particular scenario further."