Leaf it out! Council maintenance buggy slapped with parking ticket while leaves cleared in Tenterden
A council buggy ticketed
by parking wardens on a grass verge in Tenterden
by Tricia Jamieson
Traffic wardens have proved the grass isn't always greener – by
ticketing a town council-owned vehicle parked on a verge while
workers cleared leaves.
The two-seater buggy was slapped with the £70 fine while it
was on the grassy area in Tenterden High Street yesterday.
Town council maintenance man David Bourner was using it to clear
leaves and had parked it while he worked further down the
street.
The ticket was cancelled today after Tenterden town council
appealed to John Burns, Ashford council's parking services
manager.
"What were the traffic wardens thinking about? They're giving tickets to each other now..." – businessman Guy Day
Speaking before the
ticket was cancelled, town clerk Hester Deackes said: "It was
rather a shock. The buggy was not even on the road.
"It was on the grass verge, but had crossed yellow lines to get
there, which was deemed to have been the crime.
"We were using it to clear leaves in Manor Row, which is not
even our responsibility.
"David had temporarily left it to work elsewhere in the High
Street and when he came back, he found the ticket – he was pretty
cross."
The buggy belongs to the town council and is used for
maintenance work and gardening. It is taxed and insured for use on
the road.
Businessman Guy Day, who took the picture above, said: "What
were the traffic wardens thinking about? They're giving tickets to
each other now!"
His picture sparked a debate on the Tenterden Forum, with people
expressing their disbelief.
One person said: "You couldn't make it up", while another
posted: "I drove past and could not believe what I was seeing. Our
local elected borough councillors should without any doubt sort
this situation out before Tenterden loses all its trade due to its
stupid wardens."
It is understood the warden was new and, when he asked if
he should issue a ticket to a vehicle parked on the grass, he did
not specify that it was a town council vehicle.
A Tenterden town council spokesman said: "The ticket has now
been cancelled, and measures put in place by both Ashford Borough
Council and Tenterden Town Council to ensure that this does not
occur again."
An Ashford Borough Council spokesman said: "We can confirm a
penalty charge notice (PCN) was issued to the vehicle, as it
appeared, following a period of observation, that a contravention
had occurred."
The £70 fine would have been reduced to £35 if paid
within 14 days.
Traffic wardens have been criticised recently for ticketing
tourist coaches and hit the headlines in 2005 when a Rotary Club
Christmas charity collection vehicle got a ticket.
27/02/13
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