Rows of cars parked along the narrow road in Litlington, East Sussex

Litlington, which is a hotspot for walkers and cyclists, had lines of cars parked on the narrow lane that runs through the village.

This led to frustration from residents, with some putting out flyers informing people of the “bedlam” caused by the lack of space for cars to pull into, while a handwritten letter on one window stated how “fantastically selfish” it was for cars to block up the road.

The cars were parked along the road for 200 metres from the Plough and Harrow pub to the village church, with no space to pull into for cars passing through the village.

The flyer stated the lines of cars would have caused chaos if emergency services needed to get through.

It read: “If emergency services needed to get through then this would have been a nightmare.

“If you wish to come walking in the area again, please park more responsibly.”

One villager told the Argus that some of the congestion was caused by a 20 strong rambler group who turned up in multiple cars to meet for a walk.

Villagers were not happy.

South Downs National Park owns two car parks in the valley which were full on the day, the Exceat car park and the Friston car park, both at Seven Sisters Country Park.

The authority said they let people know when the car parks were full on social media and encouraged people to use public transport in the area to avoid congestion.

Visitors were also directed to park at the nearby Friston Forest car park, which is run by Forestry England, where there was additional capacity.

A spokesman said: “While we share the frustrations of residents about parking on grass verges, the National Park Authority has no powers at all around parking or enforcement as this sits with the local authority and police."

They also asked people to avoid parking on wildflower verges down the country lane.

Some of the cars parked in the Cuckmere Valley.

He added: “We will continue to raise awareness about the importance of verges for biodiversity as many provide excellent wildflower habitat for pollinators like bees and butterflies.

“We also continue to encourage people to come by public transport, including using the many local bus services from Brighton, Eastbourne and Seaford, as well as looking at cycling or rail options.

“Our message throughout this summer has been for people to plan ahead and have an alternative plan B as popular destinations can get very busy at peak times.”

Sussex Police have been contacted for comment.