Ex-Marine fed-up with neighbours’ parking hands out yellow HOMEMADE ‘penalty tickets'

Annoying parking is a common bugbear, and one man is so fed up with it that he’s taken the law into his own hands.

Former Royal Marine Donald Ligertwood, 80, has started handing homemade ‘penalty tickets’ to neighbours and painting his own markings on the road.

Not surpisingly, Donald’s neighbours aren’t impressed, with some saying his actions are causing friction on the “normally friendly” estate in Honicknowle, Devon.

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Donald, who was a Royal Marine for 22 years, said he started handing out his own handmade tickets about a year ago after becoming fed up with the way people were parking – particularly when they park overnight facing against the traffic flow.

Rule 248 of the Highway Code does state: “You must not park on a road at night facing against the direction of the traffic flow unless in a recognised parking space.”

Donald’s ‘penalty notice’ reads: “It is a parking offence to park facing the traffic at night. Continue doing it you will be called into the Crownhill police station for one hour to lecture and study the Highway Code.”

More questionably, the notices are signed as though they have been issued by the local neighbourhood police community support officer, Katie Stanley.

Donald added: “If you park the wrong way you will dazzle the oncoming person with your headlights. I’m trying to help the law but the law isn’t helping me. I’m not trying to be awkward.”

The ex-security guard also said that he had been in contact with the police who he claimed had thanked him for the work he was doing.

But his neighbours are far from thankful and are becoming increasingly frustrated by his actions, putting him down as a busybody who is stirring up resentment and anger in the street.

Neighbour Tony Hunt said he was “fuming” about the issue and had now become so “frustrated” that he had written a letter to his neighbour asking him to stop “bullying” residents in the street.

Donald’s decision to paint a 10ft x 4ft white box on the road directly across from his home has also gone down badly – though he claims he was simply touching up the faded markings of a one-time disabled space.

A Plymouth City Council spokesperson said: “There are no parking restrictions on this road.

“While the Highway Code would advise people to park vehicles pointing in the direction of travel, this is only guidance.”

The council spokesman also issued a warning to anyone who might take it upon themselves to paint their own road markings, saying: “Any markings on the highway should be approved by the highway authority and conform with Traffic Signs Regulation and General Directions 2016.”