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Ticket cancelled after traffic warden's con
David Williams, Motoring Editor30 Apr 2008
A driver told today how he received a parking ticket after being conned by a traffic warden.
Property investor Christopher Singellos wanted to park outside a house he manages in Norfolk Place, Westminster.
But only one parking bay was empty and the top of the meter had been removed. To ensure it was legal to park there, he checked with a passing warden who confirmed it was.
But an hour later Mr Singellos, 51, found an £80 parking ticket on the car.
He complained to Westminster but the council insisted he should pay and directed him to a website where motorists can view evidence of their "offence".
Mr Singellos, from Kensal Rise, said: "When I went on to the website I was astonished.
"There was clearly no head on the pole where I parked but the attendant had stood at an angle to take a picture of a fully functioning meter at another bay, with my car in the background.
"It made it look as though the head of the meter was there even though it is still missing to this day."
He said the council told him he should have paid by phone but the sign informing drivers of this was on the meter head.
After being approached by the Evening Standard, Westminster apologised to Mr Singellos and cancelled the ticket, saying the warden had made "a simple mistake".
Reader views (1)
Dear sir, my comment is concerning foreign trucks and the congestion charge. I live in Kent and work in London. I spend a lot of time on the M2 and M20 on my way into London and have noticed ALL foreign trucks and 2 registrations ( 3 for Spanish )one on the cab and one on the trailer. My question is how do TFL charge these lorries, is it the front plate or the rear plate? Bearing in mind the camera takes pictures of both the front and rear plates. If they are charging for the front part of the vehicle who do they send the notice to for the unpaid rear registration? Also these lorries have for instance an Italian cab and a Dutch trailer, or a Polish cab and a German trailer. My final point is how do these drivers pay the C.C. I have sent TfL an email months ago but no answer. Your comment would be kindly appreciated.
- Allan Cooper, Kent, England, 30/04/2008 16:30
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