Couple refuse to move their car after council paints double yellow lines outside their home

A couple are refusing to move their car after a council painted double yellow lines outside their house without warning.

Jill Stanforth, 33, and her partner, Gareth Desouky, 41, have been issued with £280 worth of tickets by Norwich City Council.

They say they only discovered the lines when they arrived home on September 14 to find them painted on either side of their £9,000 Porsche Cayenne.

The vehicle also had a £35 parking ticket on its windscreen. The couple have since received three more, which have doubled to £70 because they were not paid within 14 days.

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Ms Stanforth, who runs a beauty salon with her partner, said: “We went to work one day and we came back and the double yellow lines appeared.

“We’ve never had any official warning from the council.

“They’ve not sent us a letter, they’ve not put anything through our letter box to give us any alternative parking.”

Mr Desouky, who has lived in the £160,000 two-bed rented house in Norwich with his partner for four years, said: “Other people on the street have parked their cars on the double yellow lines and they haven’t got tickets but we have.

“That’s not fair.

“One of our neighbours has got a permit to park her car on the other side of the road but when we applied we were told we couldn’t have one.

“I don’t understand why and I think the whole thing is deeply unfair.”

The couple bought their car to transport their daughter Sophie, 11 months, around.

“We don’t mean to be awkward, we just want help in finding our permitted place to park,” said Mr Desouky.

The couple’s car parked outside their home (Picture: SWNS)

“If we knew this was the situation we’d never have moved there in the first place.”

The couple are appealing against the parking tickets, by Transport for Norwich, which carried out resurfacing work and painted the lines, said those affected were informed of the proposals and alternative parking provisions.

A spokesman said: “Those directly affected were written to with details of the proposals and replacement parking provision, as well as how to comment.

“Additional publicity was carried out in the area ahead of work starting, including site notices explaining the new traffic regulation orders and a public information notice to households near the site.

“We feel that fair warning of the changes was given and that the meaning of the new road markings is clear so enforcement action has been taken as a last resort.”

(Main Picture: SWNS)