Traffic Warden Gives Driver £70 Fine While He’s Washing His Car As Bag Obscured Permit

Shocked motorist Swayne Smith was given a £70 parking ticket while he was cleaning his car.

A jobsworth traffic warden issued the ticket because Swayne’s parking permit was obscured by a plastic bag blown on to it by vacuum he was using to clean the red Vauxhall Zafira.

The 46-year-old had been cleaning his car while displaying a valid visitor’s permit outside his girlfriend Lorenda Simpson’s Nottingham house.

Swayne, Lorenda and the traffic warden (SWNS)

But he was left baffled.when the over-zealous warden starting taking his details.

A few days later Swayne received the fine in the post a few days later.

The incident was recorded on video by his girlfriend.

In the footage, Lorenda can be heard telling the Nottingham City Council worker: ‘So today my partner is hoovering the car. As you can see, there’s a permit on the car. There’s the permit and this is the parking attendant.’

Swayne can be heard in the background saying: ‘You didn’t tell me to start the car or move on’, to which the traffic warden replies: ‘I just need to see your permit.’

The parking space in Nottingham (SWNS)

The incident happened last month.

Nottingham City Council’s website, it states that wardens should observe a vehicle for five minutes before issuing a ticket.

The couple believe this rule was not followed through by the warden and Swayne has now lodged an appeal against the fine.

‘My partner was just hoovering his car and an officer approached him, looked at the car, and started putting in his details,’ said Lorenda.

Swayne and Lorenda (SWNS)

‘He was in there with the hoover on and he didn’t think to ask him. I thought the policy was that you are supposed to at least acknowledge the driver instead of issuing a ticket straight away.

‘He was my visitor so he had every right to be there. When he asked if there was a problem, the warden said he didn’t have a permit.

‘He picked the permit off the dashboard and showed it to him, but the warden said he couldn’t see it.’

Swayne has appealed the £70 fine (SWNS)

In response, Nottingham City Council said it had been having trouble with commuters parking on the outskirts of the city centre.

And the council has issued a warning letter for the alleged ‘verbal and aggressive abuse’ towards the warden, which threatens Lorenda with cancellation of her permits if there are any further reports.

Councillor Nicola Heaton, the council’s portfolio holder for community services, said: “The City Council, Community Protection, working with Nottinghamshire Police, is actively enforcing misuse and abuse in the resident’s permit schemes to restrict commuter parking in local neighbourhoods and protect on-street parking spaces for the people who live locally.

She added that the appeal was being considered by the council.