- Postman was delayed returning to his van while helping an elderly lady
- He was handed a £50 fine which was upped to £110 after an appeal
- Postman slams council officials after adjudicator overturns the fine
A postman was wrongly slapped with a £110 fine after parking his delivery van for ten minutes while he helped an elderly lady cross the road.
David Welland, 31, helped an elderly resident while delivering letters on his route in north London.
But he was then hit with a £50 fine for parking in a controlled zone – despite postmen being allowed to leave their delivery vehicles without facing a ticket.
David Welland was hit with a parking fine while he helped an elderly lady during his post round
Mr Welland stopped his car, which was not a red Royal Mail vehicle, while delivering letters on May 15. But his return was delayed when he stopped to help an old resident cross the road.
He was handed the fine due to breaching the controlled parking rules, which ran in the area between 2pm and 3pm, by ten minutes.
When he appealed the fine, Barnet Council in north London upped it to £110.
He said: ‘I feel the attitude of Barnet has not only undermined but belittled the service Royal Mail gives the public, not only in its postal service but, as and when possible, to help, advise and assist.’
It was only when he appealed to the parking adjudicator that the fine was revoked.
He says he thinks parking wardens are ignoring the service postmen play in the community
A Barnet Council spokesman said: ‘The vehicle in question – which on appearance did not look part of the branded Royal Mail fleet – was parked on a restricted yellow line in a controlled parking zone during the prescribed hours, between 2pm and 3pm.
‘A penalty charge notice was issued to the vehicle for that reason. Having reviewed the evidence, the Traffic Adjudicator ruled in favour of Mr Welland.
‘A decision by an adjudicator is based on their personal assessment of an appeal and does not set a precedent.’