A MAN has been slapped with a parking ticket – for popping into his home for a few minutes.
Taxi driver Charles Fellows’ quick call home left him falling foul of a restriction, which states he could not return to the same parking zone for an hour.
Now he has spoken out to warn others.
Mr Fellows was received the parking ticket after being caught out by waiting restrictions outside his home on Carr Lane, Slaithwaite.
The street carries a waiting restriction – between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Saturday, cars can park for up to an hour. But, crucially, after they leave the parking space, they cannot return until after an hour has passed.
When he is at home for long periods, Mr Fellows normally parks his Slaithwaite and Golcar Cars taxi on nearby streets or car parks.
But he often leaves his car outside his house when visiting for just a few minutes to collect items or take his lunch break.
It was on such a visit that he was hit with a ticket.
He had parked his car at 11.17am, gone into his house and left minutes later. He returned at around 12.30pm and went inside for 10 minutes.
When he went back to his car, he found a ticket had been issued at 12.34pm.
Mr Fellows believes the ticket is unjust, as he had not been parked in the space for a full hour.
He appealed to Kirklees Council, but had his case refused.
He then sourced CCTV footage to prove that he was in Linthwaite at 11.55am that day and appealed via the magistrates’ courts.
He said: “Lots of residents on the street have had tickets. You pop into your house for a few minutes and you get one.
“There is no resident parking and I need to pop in and out of my house all day. The ticket was £30 if I had paid within 14 days. It has taken me a lot of time appealing and a lot of hassle, but I’m not paying for something I don’t think I have done.”
However, Kirklees Council said motorists should pay close attention to parking restrictions to avoid problems.
A spokesman said: “We cannot comment on a case awaiting a tribunal hearing, but we would urge motorists to observe the regulations on the signs where they park.”
