Cruel council FORCED me to park my car in ridiculous way and slapped me with a £50 fine – it’s entrapment
A PRISON officer has told how his cruel council forced him to park his car in a ridiculous way - and then slapped him with a £50 fine.
Tony Hayes was met with a tough decision when he was parking his car at the Brakes car park in Hanley, Stoke-on-trent.
He was forced to decide whether to make sure his rear wheels were level with the end of the parking bay - or make sure the front of his car stayed inside the ridiculously short space.
He went with the first option - and was slapped with the £50 parking charge notice.
He told : “They're issuing penalty notices where no common-sense has been applied. It’s certainly a trap for the driver to drop into.
“We'd had a great day at Ninja Warrior and came back to find a £50 thing stuck to my windscreen. They should make alterations in the car park so that the bays are appropriately sized to standard-size bays to prevent other people having their day ruined too.”
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Tony is refusing to pay the fine - and wants to fight his case against the council in court.
Stoke-on-Trent council say Tony breached contravention code 86 by not parking completely in one space.
However, Tony argues: “How I parked was deliberate. When I was parking the car I realised there was no way I could get that car in that bay. The lines are too short. The decision was, do I leave it overlapping at the back end which would leave a hazard and could damage my car or do I move it forward.
“The car park was virtually empty. I moved my car forward three feet to reduce the hazard. It wasn't accidental, I did it purposefully as it wouldn't fit in the markings.
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“They’re trying to get people into the town centres and to use the high street shops. This will drive people away rather than entice them into the city.
“I’m angry, I'm perplexed. To issue a penalty charge under those circumstances is unreasonable, they’re ripping people off. There’s no consideration. I’m not paying, I'd rather go to court.”
A council spokesman said: “Anyone who receives a penalty-charge notice is welcome to challenge the notice.
“All appeals are carried out independently and in line with parking regulations.”