Council incorrectly ticketed car parked on faded lines

A council was caught repainting a faded single yellow line just weeks after rejecting a driver who appealed his parking ticket on the basis that the marking was broken.

David Cleghorn, 35, left his car parked on the shattered line after being told by three traffic wardens from Tower Hamlets Council it would not be enforced, but was subsequently issued with a ticket.

He unsuccessfully appealed this fine because the marking on North Tenter Street was ‘completely broken’ under his car, only to film a council worker fill in the gaps in the yellow paint a month later.

This footage shows a council worker repainting a faded single yellow line just weeks after the authority rejected a driver who appealed his parking ticket because the marking was unclear

The energy company manager forwarded the footage, taken on CCTV set up outside his office, to Tower Hamlets Council alongside a second formal appeal.

After 25 days, the authority replied with a letter informing him the fine had been dropped.

Mr Cleghorn told MailOnline: ‘I’d already been told by three traffic wardens that I could park there because there was no line.

‘I tried to explain that to the traffic warden at the time but he just would not listen.

‘There was no yellow line touching my wheels whatsoever. I deliberately moved my car out of the way so the warden could see that no line was touching my wheels.’

Mr Cleghorn had his first appeal rejected on March 9, 2016, while the broken line was repaired by the council on April 8, 30 days later.

Mr Cleghorn unsuccessfully appealed this fine because the marking on North Tenter Street was 'completely broken' under his car. This image was taken after he received the ticket to illustrate the condition of the marking

Mr Cleghorn unsuccessfully appealed this fine because the marking on North Tenter Street was ‘completely broken’ under his car. This image was taken after he received the ticket to illustrate the condition of the marking

Mr Cleghorn had his first appeal rejected on March 9, 2016, while the broken line was repaired by the council on April 8, 30 days later. Pictured are two of the images Mr Cleghorn sent with his appeal, which he said prove the line was not touching his wheel

An image Mr Cleghorn used to claim the yellow paint was not touching his wheel

Mr Cleghorn had his first appeal rejected on March 9, 2016, while the broken line was repaired by the council on April 8, 30 days later. Pictured are two of the images he sent with his appeal, which he said prove the line was not touching his wheel

He added: ‘I challenged the ticket and they defended it until a month later when they sent someone to repaint it. They backtracked after I sent them the CCTV.’

A Tower Hamlets council spokesman said: ‘The PCN was correctly issued because the front of Mr Cleghorn’s vehicle, up to the wing mirrors, was over the yellow line.

‘The officer who reviewed Mr Cleghorn’s formal representations took into account that there was a break in the line and decided to give Mr Cleghorn the benefit of the doubt.’

Mr Cleghorn informed the council in his appeal that three parking wardens had told him the yellow line would not be enforced. 

Mr Cleghorn, who lives locally, said he challenges every fine possible, saying: 'It is ultimately just for cash, it is nothing to do with making our lives easier'

Mr Cleghorn, who lives locally, said he challenges every fine possible, saying: ‘It is ultimately just for cash, it is nothing to do with making our lives easier’

In an official letter to him, the authority said: ‘During your presence an officer advised you that you were in contravention and as you are seen in the images you could have moved your vehicle to another location nearby.’

This was one of three parking tickets from Tower Hamlets Council that Mr Cleghorn successfully overturned in an 18-month period.

The two other cases, both also from last year, were overturned when it was found the wardens had not followed official procedures correctly.

Mr Cleghorn, who lives in the area, said he challenges every fine possible, adding: ‘There has to be some kind of parking enforcement, but they don’t have a consistent way of working.

‘It is ultimately just for cash, it is nothing to do with making our lives easier. They don’t care about the residents whatsoever.’

The story was revealed the same week a cowboy private parking firm met its match when it took a top barrister to court over a £85 fine, but ended up losing the case.

ParkingEye sued Nicholas Bowen QC after he refused to pay a ticket for exceeding the free two-hour limit while he took a nap at Membury Services on the M4.

But the controversial firm may now regret taking Mr Bowen on after it was ordered to pay £1,550 in costs when the judge dismissed the case. 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk