Fined while stuck in a jam
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A Battersea operator has attacked Westminster Council after one of its drivers was given a parking ticket while stuck in a traffic jam caused by one of the council's own trucks. Jennifer Ball reports.
TONY HILTON, who drives for Sim on Jones Superfreight, was sitting in his cab in a queue of traffic on Passmore Street waiting for a council truck to move out of the way when a traffic warden slapped a parking ticket on his window.
The firm is contesting the £100 fine. A spokeswoman says: "The driver suggested that he [the warden] should give the truck in front a ticket but he said that he couldn't because he worked for the same council.When the driver tried to talk to the traffic warden he just told him to take the matter up with his office.
"It's absolutely ridiculous trying to make deliveries in London. As soon as you get out of the truck the wardens are sitting there waiting to give you a ticket."
A spokesman for Westminster Council says it is investigating the incident.
Westminster regularly comes under fire for its over-zealous parking regime. Despite winning concessions from the council, parcels giant TNT says its drivers are still collecting a large number of parking tickets. Operations director Nigel Barton says: "At this stage we are still not seeing much by way of a reduction in fines being imposed at street level." However, more are being rescinded at the first appeal stage, he adds.