Outrageous! Man Slapped With Rs 6,500 Parking Fine Because His Car's Shadow Was In Disabled Parking Spot

There have been instances of people being given parking fines for bizarre reasons and we can add one more to that list. A man in the UK was slapped with a ?65 (Rs 6,500) fine because his car¡¯s shadow was in a disabled parking space.

Matthew Cole, who works as a self-employed gardener, was left 'gobsmacked' when he received a letter this month which alleged he had parked illegally.

Matthew Cole/MyLondon

The Lewisham Council sent him a letter claiming he had been parking illegally, with images sent by the council showing his silver Ford estate car parked in an unmarked bay next to a disabled spot, MyLondon reported.

Only the shadow of his vehicle appears to be in the marked disabled bay. That's just insane!

¡°It¡¯s absurd. There¡¯s no signage where I parked and the photos they sent me only show the shadow of my car in the disabled spot. I was taking my daughter to a football match on the heath and had parked there before without a problem. Having not got a ticket at the other times, I personally don¡¯t think I should have got a ticket this time," Cole told MyLondon.

¡°It¡¯s completely wrong. They¡¯re enforcing something that¡¯s not there. I think ?65 is not a lot to many people today but the principle is wrong. If you don¡¯t pay the fine in a certain time it doubles to ?130 which is a lot," he added.

Matthew Cole/MyLondon

Cole appealed the fine saying there was no disabled parking sign next to the bay where he was parked. However, the council rejected his complaint and alleged he had parked in a spot reserved for disabled badge holders.

Cole is determined to fight as he believes he isn't in the wrong, and has launched a second appeal but is yet to hear back.

"They sent me an email to dispute it and I disputed it but they seemed to just ignore what I said and said it was issued correctly. They¡¯re so hard to get hold of. I think it¡¯s done to force you to pay," he added.

¡°I¡¯ve parked in that same spot at least three other times for five to eight hours each time and had no problem. I don¡¯t see why it was a problem this time.¡±

In a statement cited by MyLondon, a spokesperson for Lewisham Council said: ¡°We issued a Penalty Charge Notice [PCN] to Mr Cole on 26 March for parking in a disabled bay, which was marked with a ¡®Disabled badge holders only¡¯ sign. Mr Cole¡¯s initial challenge of this PCN was rejected as he didn¡¯t give a reason for challenging it. He has since outlined reasons for challenging the fine, which we are looking into in line with legal processes. We will be letting Mr Cole know the outcome in due course."

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