“Vehicles parked on the pavement can cause very real difficulties for many pedestrians,” the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said. Last year a Department for Transport review concluded that pavement parking was problematic for 95% of respondents who are visually impaired and 98% of wheelchair users.

Parliament’s Transport Select Committee welcomed the Government’s review, but called for detail on timings going forward. “There is much to praise in this response and we particularly welcome the Department for Transport’s intention to consult the public on how a ban on pavement parking would work for them,” said Committee chair Huw Merriman.

“However, we have to now deliver this change. The Government promised to look into the issue in 2015 but consultations, roundtable events and internal reviews failed to lead to any actions. We now need a detailed timeframe to ensure this happens.”

Motoring groups gave a cautious welcomed to the consultation, but said the issue is complex.

“Where a motorist has clearly and deliberately parked in an antisocial way, they absolutely deserve to be penalised,” said the AA’s head of roads policy Jack Cousins. “But a blanket ban could lead to unintended consequences; spreading out parking problems over a wider area.

“A better way forward would be for local authorities to carry out a street by street assessment where they can determine where parking on the footway can happen.”

RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes added: “Nobody should be forced into stepping into the road to get around a vehicle that has taken up pavement space. However, outlawing pavement parking as a whole is more complex because not all streets in the UK are the same.

“Some drivers will put a tyre up the kerb on a narrow residential street to avoid restricting road access to other vehicles while still allowing plenty of space for pedestrian access. Better guidance and a definition of what is and isn’t appropriate would be a more practical solution, rather than an outright ban.”

Local Government Association transport spokesman David Renard said he is pleased with the Government’s announcement. “We have long called for the ban on pavement parking to be extended to all areas of England, with councils able to make exemptions.”

Pavement parking and damaged pavements, he added, are among the biggest complaints from pedestrians.