Grinch traffic warden slaps cars with £70 fines as Boxing Day loophole meant it was NOT a bank holiday
A GRINCH traffic warden has issued £70 parking fines on Boxing Day morning as a loophole meant it was not a Bank Holiday.
Car owners were enjoying a festive lie along in Bolton when they woke up to find their vehicles hit with parking notices.
Parking along that stretch of Ashworth Lane is prohibited between 7.30am and 6.30pm Monday to Saturday, apart from Bank Holidays.
However, the notices were £70 notices were slapped on a row of cars just before 8am on Saturday.
Residents in a Whatsapp group alerted other car owners, who scrambled to move their vehicles - but 10 weren't so lucky.
The residents say the warden insisted the tickets were issued legitimately as Saturday was not officially a bank holiday.
However, Hilary Fairclough, a furious local councillor, is demanding the fines issued be withdrawn.
She said: "This was incredibly mean-spirited. It’s a shocking and indefensible move.
“What appears to be one of the issues is that the parking attendant said it was not a bank holiday.
“That may be true but it was Boxing Day and unfair.”
Cllr Fairclough, who was contacted by the unhappy residents, says she normally supports parking enforcement in the area, especially during busy school run times.
She also said she has never had a complaint before about penalty notices from car owners living on Ashworth Lane.
She said: "But when the vast majority of Bolton is closed, no school, indeed very little traffic on any road at 8am and they are seen as the easy prey.
“It is not really part of the Bolton family we are trying to promote.”
One resident, whose car received a penalty notice, said: "I was in shock. Morally it is wrong."
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Cllr Fairclough has now written to Bolton Council’s parking enforcement department stating that common sense should prevail, the Council should show more Christmas spirit and the parking tickets must be withdrawn.
She added: "It has been such a dreadful year for people and, to top the lot, they now get issued with a parking ticket.
“I would be interested in the rational for sending traffic enforcement officers to the area and like to know what other areas were included for this little Christmas surprise.”