A former Huddersfield traffic warden is the latest person to answer 20 questions about their job.

The woman wanted to remain anonymous - which is understandable when you read her answers!

  • Did you always want to be a traffic warden?

I never planned on being a traffic warden - I actually got into it by accident.

  • How did you get into it?

I had just finished a fixed term contract so I was looking for work and I applied for just about every job going.

When I went for the interview I actually had no idea what I was going for. I just knew it was a regular income and I had bills to pay.

  • What are the best parts of the job?

There were many nice parts to doing that job. I got to be outside, lots of exercise. Some people knew I was just doing a job and were very kind and understanding towards the role.

A couple of shop keepers would be kind in adverse weather. They would bring out some hot chocolate to warm us up in winter or in summer offer us an ice cream.

  • What are the worst parts of the job?

The worst part of the job was the constant grief we received off a lot of the public: people shouting profanities out of the windows of their cars; shouting as you walk down the street; calling me names; putting me down.

Some people would be so angry they got a ticket they would threaten me and try to intimidate me.

  • Have you had any frightening experiences?

I had a few situations that put me on edge. One situation was that a man I ticketed followed me back to my car to then tried to corner me, shouting in my face about the things he was going to do and how he wanted to hurt me.

Luckily my radio went off and he heard that a couple of my colleagues were only a couple of streets away and the man started to calm down towards me.

Myself and my colleagues have been surrounded by groups of people wanting to harass us.

When you wear a traffic warden's uniform, people no longer see you as a person with feelings and a family. They speak to you like your nothing.

  • Did your friends know you were a traffic warden? What did they say?

I always told my friends what job I did because if anything I wanted to be able to vent and talk about work with the amount of negativity I would feel in one day at work.

  • Would you recommend it and why?

It's not that i would recommend the job - it's not an easy job and often not a very nice job but if you're a person with thick skin that can take the nastiness and and leave it at work then it's a job you could consider.

  • What is the pay like?

The pay is not what people think. I was paid £15,000 a year to start with moving up to £15,500.

  • Have you ever had a ticket yourself?

I personally have never had a ticket but small perks to being an ex traffic warden is that I know what regulations are not enforced and what I can get away with.

  • Do you target certain streets?

It's not that we targeted certain streets but we did know that certain streets would be busier.

My way of thinking was that if a traffic warden patrolled properly then they wouldn't have to give that many tickets as they were being seen and making themselves available to explain regulations to the public and advise better parking.

  • Do you have targets?

This is hard to explain as they are not allowed to have targets, but what they do have are averages.

This is all the traffic warden's tickets added together and an average worked out of how many tickets were issued a day/week/month.

If you didn't meet the average you could be brought in for retraining or questioned why you didn't meet the average.

  • Do you get bonuses?

No. Every traffic warden receives their standard monthly wage, no extras or bonus which is one of the big things people don't like about traffic wardens.

They think for every ticket there is a bonus and to be fair for the amount of grief I got I wish that was the case.

  • Do you get training?

Yes you get taught the regulations and contraventions and how to use the equipment. You spend a little time shadowing more experienced members of staff.

  • Are you taught how to deal with difficult situations?

No not really. You are taught how to use your radio to call for assistance or in an emergency.

  • Under what circumstances would you let someone off?

A lot of the time you would have already put the ticket on screen and at that point you cant take it back, so I would advise them of appeals procedures and maybe tell them what they needed to say.

  • Why did you quit?

I left for lots of reasons. I had recently moved so my commute was longer, I had a small child and the early shift was a 7.15am start so I was having to leave my child with family at 6.15 am to be on time.

With it being a job that wears you down it just wasn't worth the time or money.

  • What's the worst parking you've ever seen?

There is bad parking like half out of a bay but the worst were inconsiderate parkers, the ones that had expensive cars.

They would park in the middle of two bays (pay for only one) then other people like mothers with prams may have to park and walk just because that person with the expensive car wanted to make sure nobody parked near them.

  • What's the worst reaction to a parking ticket you've ever had?

I have had lots of really bad reactions but also a couple where I look back and laugh.

One man caught up with me and a colleague and tried to attach the ticket to us and get away quickly because he thought if he didn't have the ticket it was no longer valid.

  • What's the most tickets you have issued in a day?

I think my highest number was about 30 but that was a one off due to a car park having new regulations in place.

Most of the time I would get maybe a couple a day.

  • Did you ever lie about what you did for a living?

I didn't lie because if I am honest there was no point. When people see you out of your uniform they are more likely to ask questions than to be nasty. It's mainly in uniform you are no longer seen as a person.

I would like to say there is a jobsworth in every job but the majority of the people you see as traffic wardens are just that...people.

They are mums and dads trying to provide for their family, doing a job they probably don't like but it pays their bills, feeds their children and keeps a roof over their heads.

So don't be so quick to judge.