A jobsworth female traffic warden slapped a window cleaner with a £70 parking ticket – because his van was overhanging double yellow lines by just two centimetres.
Furious Andrew Wilson, 50, parked his van on his own driveway which has double yellow lines painted outside to avoid motorists blocking his vehicle.
He was unable to pull up to the very end of his driveway because of building work being carried out on his neighbour’s property.
As a result the back of his white Vauxhall van was left narrowly overhanging the yellow lines outside his home in Lincoln.
But he was stunned when a female traffic warden slapped him with a £70 parking penalty fine on January 7.
The dad-of-one slammed Lincolnshire County Council for “milking people of every penny” and vowed to fight the fine.
Andrew, who lives with his wife Keely, 39, and daughter Shania, 13, fumed: “I was sat having my tea, I think it was about 5.30pm, and the dog started barking.
“My missus went out and saw the traffic warden was just putting the ticket on my van.
“I went out ranting and raving and saying ‘what are you doing?’
“There was about three or four people in our street shouting at her. She said there was nothing she could do about it.
“I said ‘you can see the driveway, I can’t use it’ and she just walked off.
“The wheels are on my drive but the tiniest part of the vehicle is overhanging the lines.
“I would say it was hanging maybe half way over the first yellow line, probably only two centimetres.
“The warden must have got a ruler out and measured just how far over the line I was. The galling thing is the lines are there to stop my and other people’s cars being blocked in by other people.
“It’s a £70 fine but if you pay it in 14 days then it’s £35. I’m not going to pay it. I’ve appealed against it and sent the photos I took off.”
Andrew can normally fit two or three cars on his drive but has been forced to park his van further back since November because his neighbour is building an extension.
Builders told him the work could collapse if he parks at the top of his drive but he said the officious traffic warden refused to listen to him.
Andrew, who was out cleaning windows in yesterday’s snow, added: “We can’t use the whole drive because next door are building an extension and it would collapse if I did.
“The builders told me not to go any further.
“I explained that to the woman but she still gave me the ticket.
“I have been living here for three-and-a-half years and the yellow lines have always been there but I’ve never had a problem.
“After 6pm you don’t need a permit so the traffic wardens are always down there at like 5.30pm trying to catch people out.
“I’ve seen them scraping the ice off trying to look for permits.
“It is just stupid. It is milking us for every penny we have. It is disgusting.”
Yesterday, it was revealed motorists in Lincolnshire have appealed against one out of every seven on-street parking tickets issued since the scheme came into force.
Figures showed that of the 4,222 fines handed out by enforcement officers in December last year, 624 motorists have lodged appeals.
Mick Phoenix, parking services manager for Lincolnshire County Council, said: “Without looking at this case in more detail it’s difficult for us to comment.”
Typical whining white van man uptight it was a female who slapped a ticket on him. Made me laugh lol.
Midnight, no doubt your a traffic warden.