But council say Joanne must be fined for being outside the line

YOU'VE heard the one about women trying to park?

Well, so it seems have Kirklees after they ticketed a female student for not parking "properly".

Joanne Garside parked her Punto in a poorly marked, non-tarmaced bay in the Springwood car park just off the ring road in Huddersfield on Wednesday morning.

The part-time student went to college and when she returned at 12.30pm was astonished to find a parking ticket on the windscreen.

Joanne, 23, from Mount, said: "I couldn't believe it.

"I park there every time when I go to college.

"At first I thought it was for not buying a ticket, though I had.

"Then when I opened it I couldn't believe my eyes."

Joanne, who also works at Syngenta, said: "I am so angry.

"I rang the number on the ticket and was told to write off if I disputed it.

"Look at the car park - it's not properly marked and there's no tarmac. It's not the best parking in the world but I don't deserve a fine!"

Joanne said she will not pay the fine.

She added: "They are taking the mickey.

"Even if I wasn't parked properly no-one else was and I'm the only one to be fined."

Former Heckmondwike councillor Peter Sykes works with Joanne. He was formerly in charge of highways and parking at the council.

He said: "I couldn't believe it. Have the traffic wardens got nothing better to do?

"Joanne has not done anything wrong."

However, a spokesman for Highways was defiant claiming they were in the right.

He said: "The parking area at Springwood is made up of planings, therefore the parking bays are indicated with line markings on the edge of the tarmaced area as can be seen in the Examiner photograph of Ms Garside's car.

"The tariff board warning states: `An offence notice will be issued to vehicles not parked in a marked bay'."