TRAFFIC WARDENS

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Council chiefs have refused to cancel a parking ticket put on paralysed Ann Knight's car, because her blue disabled badge was upside down. Officials from Brighton and Hove City Council insist motor neurone sufferer Ann, from Sudbury, Suffolk, must appeal personally against the ticket even though she cannot move or speak. Her husband wrote to the council's parking department but was told, "You got a ticket because the blue badge was displayed upside down." Claire Cooper, spokeswoman for the council, said, "Blue badge holders should be aware of the correct way to display their badges. In this case the badge was displayed incorrectly and a parking ticket was given." (Source: Daily Mail, Jan/08)

Motorists blocked in by a police cordon during a political demonstration were all issued with parking tickets as they waited. The demonstration, organised by aid organisation Christian Aid, was led by pop star Ronan Keating and a number of other celebrities along Whitehall. Police sealed off both ends of Great Peter Street which leads on to Whitehall to allow the marchers to pass.

Lewis Whyld, had parked his car in the road and paid for an hour’s parking. When he saw the police cordon had been put in place, he watched the procession pass and waited for the barriers to be lifted. On return to his car, before the police had cleared the route, he discovered he had been given a parking ticket.

He said, “The police blocked the road off at both ends for safety reasons. Everyone left their cars where they were and waited for police to open the street. Then the traffic wardens ran in and gave people tickets. It wasn’t just the fact that they were giving everyone tickets during the road block, it was the fact that they were laughing about it as well. You cannot move your car because the police are stopping you leaving and then the traffic wardens give you a ticket.”

A spokesman for Westminster Council said the matter was being looked into. “We are happy for people who feel aggrieved about their parking tickets to challenge them,” he said. “People should challenge the council and not the parking attendants issuing the tickets.” (Source: The Sun, Sep/06)

A traffic warden wrote out a £100 fixed penalty ticket for a car that ended up on a yellow line after a crash. The wrecked was slapped with a fine within hours of the accident. Driver James Pennant said: "The car was clearly undriveable and the car it hit was on the other side of the road. It was obviously the scene of an accident but that didn't stop him writing out a ticket."

He added, "I told the warden what he was doing was atrocious but he just told me to go away. He even said it was illegal for me to take pictures, so I took more." The stranded car was given another ticket the next day by the same warden. A spokesman for the parking firm apologised and said the tickets would be cancelled. (Source: Daily Mirror, Aug/06)

Traffic warden Andrew Sewell has been suspended after he was caught using a fake ticket to allow him to park illegally. He has been removed from duty by bosses at Derby City Council after he was spotted parking in a restricted zone in the city he normally patrols. The warden was seen by a reporter from the Derby Evening Telegraph newspaper parking illegally then putting a ticket on his car to make it look as if the vehicle had already been dealt with.

The newspaper claim they were alerted to the scam in Sacheverel Street, a strict no-parking zone, by a reader who challenged the warden about it. The reader claimed the warden, who was wearing full uniform, admitted putting a fake ticket on "so I can park here" and boasting that he was flouting the rules. Derby City Council have reportedly launched an inquiry into the allegations, but has refused to name him, insisting that he should be protected as a member of the council's staff.

Mr Sewell later contacted the Evening Telegraph to explain his actions and to apologise. He said that he had left his car in the no-parking zone because he was suffering from a stomach upset and he needed to use the toilets at a nearby cafe. He said, "I dispute some of the allegations but I admit my actions were in the wrong and I've resigned. I was going to quit anyway because I hated the job." (Source: Daily Mail, Aug/06)

Builder Ralph Gardner was given a £60 ticket for parking a truck on his own drive. He was penalised because the driveway is next to double yellow lines. When he complained in Brixham, Devon, he was told to produce his house deeds as proof of residence. Torbay Council later axed the fine. It said Ralph’s tyre was touching the yellow lines but accepted the “majority of the vehicle” was on private land. Ralph said, “The attendant had to trespass on my land to fix the ticket on the windscreen.” (Source: The Sun, Jun/06)

Shirley Hatcher left her car near her house and workmen painted a “Disabled” bay around it. Then a traffic warden came along while the paint was still drying and booked her for being illegally parked. A registered disabled neighbour had asked Southampton City Council for a bay to be put outside HER home next door. When workmen turned up they chose the exact spot where Shirley’s car was and even managed to spatter it with paint as they sprayed a box of broken lines round it. The warden arrived and wrote out a £60 ticket because she was not displaying a disabled sticker. The council apologised, scrapped the ticket and vowed to clean the paint off Shirley’s car. Spokesman David Bennett admitted, “We were in error.” (Source: The Sun, Jun/06)

Traffic wardens are to gain special powers to challenge drivers using disabled parking badges after an investigation uncovered widespread misuse. Drivers will be obliged to hand over badges for inspection and give an explanation if the disabled person is not present. Those who fail to do so will be fined up to £1,000.

The investigation also uncovered a number of drivers using computer-scanned copies of genuine badges and others who had altered the expiry date or were using badges belonging to people who had died. At present wardens have no way of checking whether the badge displayed in the vehicle belongs to the driver or a passenger. The front of the badge gives only the name of the issuing authority, the expiry date and a serial number.

In a move initiated by the Government, wardens will be able to demand to inspect the rear of the badge, which contains the holder’s photograph. Local authorities will be recruiting hundreds of enforcement officers to gather evidence for prosecutions, including footage from closed-circuit television and hand-held cameras of able-bodied people illicitly using badges.

Nick Lester, director of transport at the Association of London Government, said, “The power to inspect the badge will be a major deterrent. We know that many people offer to run errands for badge holders and then just leave the badge in their car and use it to avoid paying for parking.” (Source: Times Online, Jun/06)

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