WHEN the M5 motorway was built, a bridge over Hucclecote Road split the village in two.

While the larger part of Hucclecote became part of Gloucester city, the lesser part was included in Tewkesbury borough as a civil parish.

Years later, the divide has left residents on either side with different council tax bands, rubbish collections and amenities.

Now parish councillors on the Brockworth side of the bridge are calling for more recognition of the area.

Chairman of Hucclecote Parish Council Pat Grant-Hudson said: "We are a civil parish, established just because of the motorway bridge.

"Anyone on our side of the bridge is in Tewkesbury borough and people on the other side are in Gloucester city.

"The thing is, our parish has become quite important. We've already got around 600 houses, and we're going to have 700 more as part of the Cooper's Edge development. Things are really going to take off.

"Our main concern is that we are not identified as a separate parish to Hucclecote in the city and indeed often get referred to as Brockworth because we have the same postcode – people don't know, for example, that many of the businesses in Gloucester Business Park are actually in Hucclecote."

Hucclecote Parish Council only represents people in Tewkesbury borough.

Fellow parish councillor Barbara Martin, in Cranham Gate, on the parish side, said: "Over the years it has caused us terrific difficulties.

"At one point we ordered dog fouling signs, which the council erected in the wrong part of Hucclecote. At other times we just get totally missed out."

Meanwhile Jenny Smith, 63, in Laynes Road, on the city side, said there are also financial differences.

"I have lived here since 1973 and five years ago I moved to Brockworth for a while. The moment you go under the bridge you are in Hucclecote parish where you have considerably lower council tax than in the city," she said.

"The parish does feel a bit of an island."

Coun Bill Crowther represents the city side of Hucclecote on Gloucestershire County Council.

He said: "It's before my time, but as I understand, it was when the M5 was built that the village was split in half.

"In fact, there's still an old notice board on our side of Hucclecote, which used to be used by the parish council when it operated here.

"When we had local government reorganisation in 1973, they redrew the city council boundaries and brought Hucclecote into the city of Gloucester.

"Now, our side is a thriving centre. It's like a village within the city. The shopping centre is first class, with all the shops fully occupied, but I think those in 'Hucclecote without' as I call it got the short straw initially."