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Tickets battle over 'ideal' parking spot
Brian Lashley

A FORMER traffic warden believes that he has found the perfect parking space - after spotting a gap in yellow lines just big enough for his car.

But Peter Drummond's former colleagues do not agree and are repeatedly handing him tickets. Now Mr Drummond is taking his case to an appeal, where he hopes to prove he is simply taking advantage of a legal loophole.

He told how he has received four parking fines for leaving his Ford Mondeo on a broken yellow line in Oldham Street in Manchester city centre, when he goes to work.

Mr Drummond, 36, from Salford, said that for a ticket to be issued legally, the yellow line has to be continuous. But at one point, a road repair appears to have covered the markings. Parking experts said if the line is broken it is legitimate grounds for an appeal. Mr Drummond believes he has not been given more £60 tickets because most NCP parking attendants know the rules. He is now appealing against the fines.

Pressure

"I did the job for five years and I know the regulations, which is why I park there," he said. "The only reasons I can think of for the tickets being issued is bad training, or because the attendants are under pressure to reach quotas."

Mr Drummond resigned from NCP after being investigated following allegations he was planning to leak confidential company documents to the media. The same investigation led to the unfair sacking of warden Damien Smethurst, who once issued 101 incorrect tickets in a day after being ordered to do so by his boss Jason Trenbath - who was later fired for not booking an illegally parked car.

A spokeswoman for Manchester council said the tickets were correctly issued to Mr Drummond and some small sections of the yellow line needed repainting. She said: "This motorist is seeking to exploit a technical loophole while blocking a cycle lane on one of the busiest public transport routes to the city centre.

"If the motorist considers the tickets should not have been issued, they should use the appeals procedure, which is independent."

Barrie Segal, founder of AppealNow.com, said: "I will not go into the morality of what this guy is doing but he is entitled to park there if that line is broken.

"Councils exploit technical loopholes - they issue tickets if a motorist is parked slightly outside a parking bay."

Damien Smethurst, who once issued 101 incorrect tickets in a day after being ordered to do so by his boss Jason Trenbath

"If the motorist considers the tickets should not have been issued, they should use the appeals procedure, which is independent."