SPITE VAN MAN
Before you hand out yet another £60 fine, pal, you might want to check the permits on your own motor
A “JOBSWORTH” council parking warden has been caught dishing out £60 tickets to drivers while parked unlawfully himself.
The van David Renfrew uses to scour his home town for targets has permits on its windscreen allowing him to park it for free.
But unfortunately for him, they both expired eight months ago – and someone noticed and told the Daily Record.
Renfrew was left squirming about his unlawful antics when we confronted him as he handed out another batch of fines in Oban, Argyll.
But others were delighted to see the Argyll and Bute Council warden get his comeuppance.
A council insider told us: “He shouldn’t be going out if his permit is out of date, but he just loves the thrill of booking people. “He’s such a jobsworth it’s unbelievable. “He thinks he’s Mr Efficiency but he can’t be, not if his permit is out of date by eight months.”
Renfrew used to be Oban’s full-time parking warden but is now an “amenity enforcement warden” dealing with dog fouling and strays as well as drivers.
Our reporter watched on Sunday as he ticketed motorists in the town, using his blue council van with “dog warden” on the side.
We noted the two council permits on the windscreen – one for “on street resident parking” and another marked “car park season ticket”.
Both had long since expired. The car park permit ran out on August 31 last year and the residents permit was last valid on August 12.
We caught up with Renfrew and asked him about his out-of-date permits as he returned to his van in the Corran Halls car park.
He replied: “That will be in the process of being updated then.”
Renfrew refused to comment when we asked if he should be booking other drivers when he was parked unlawfully himself. He told us to take the matter up with the council.
We suggested he was personally
responsible, as the van’s driver, for making sure its permits were up to date. He responded: “I am not passing any comment on it.”
And when we pointed out his permits had not been valid since last August, he said: “It’s nice of you to bring it to my attention.”
Renfrew then hurried back to his van and drove off.
Local councillor Roddy McCuish, who chairs the Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee, sounded mortified when we told him about Renfrew. He said: “I will take this up immediately with the road traffic manager.
“I can’t justify this, especially with the fact that Oban, Lorn and the Isles brings in more parking revenue than any other area of Argyll and Bute.”
Ordinary drivers are hit with a £60 fine if they park at Corran Halls without a valid permit. They get a 50 per cent discount if they cough up within 14 days.
The penalty for parking on the street without a ticket is also £60, cut to £30 if offenders pay within 28 days.
As Renfrew suggested, we also spoke to the council about his out-of-date permits. They told us: “This has been an administrative oversight which has now been rectified.”
But a council source insisted it was nobody’s job but Renfrew’s to keep the permits up to date. They said: “There is no protocol for renewals. It’s entirely the responsibility of the driver.
“It’s part of your daily checks – the same as checking your oil and tyres. He’s the only one that drives that van.”
Another reliable council source confirmed: “It’s a personal thing. He’s the one that does all the daily checks.”
The insider who told us about Renfrew suggested he would be better off concentrating on his dog warden duties.
“What he should be doing is going out and finding people whose dogs are fouling,” they said.
“He’s got ‘dog warden’ written on the side of his van. He should be concentrating on that.
“There are enough traffic wardens in the town.”