A Twickenham man is being forced to pay a parking fine after moving his car for a few minutes to make space for a removal lorry.

Tony Haddow, 61, of Queens Road, contested the £55 fine, doubled during the appeal period, which he received for mounting the kerb on May 18 of this year.

But despite an independent adjudicator recommending the penalty notice charge be cancelled, Mr Haddow admitted he had no choice but to pay up.

He said: “For me, it was never really about the money but instead the principle of the matter.

“I feel Richmond Council gas been overly aggressive in their correspondence and that I have been treated very unfairly.

“I thought I was being a good neighbour but I shall have to think twice in future - it is a total lack of common sense.

“I was asked to move my car to make space for the removal lorry. I wasn’t even dressed and in the time I had gone upstairs to get changed, I had received a parking ticket.”

He added that he had not taken more than five minutes before coming down to move his car back on to the road.

The appeal was refused by the adjudicating Parking and Traffic Appeals Service, even though they recommended the fine was cancelled.

The council said in a letter that although they would not cancel the fine, they would allow Mr Haddow to pay original £55 sum as a “one-off gesture”.

Mr Haddow stressed that Queens Road was very narrow and residents had recently suffered damage to their vehicles including broken wing mirrors.

He said: “My wife has had so many claims because of damage to her car that she can no longer claim on the insurance.

“The traffic was backed up down the road so what on earth was I supposed to do?”

Mr Haddow has been told he must pay the fine by October 2 before the council pursues the matter by charge certificate.

Coun Chris Harrison, council cabinet member for highways and streetscene, said: “Parking on the kerbside is illegal and costs taxpayers thousands of pounds in repairs and maintenance work on pathways each year.

“We expect motorists with residential car parking to use bays responsibly and park sensibly at all times.

“The PCN has been appealed and an independent adjudicator recommended enforcement action was the correct decision.”

 

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