Biker gets parking ticket on charity gift pick-up
A volunteer who helped collect toys for disadvantaged children at Christmas has hit out at a warden after he was given a parking ticket during a stop-off.
Paul Walker was given the penalty notice during the festive fundraiser which saw him make a parcel pit-stop.
The 52-year-old fire fighting instructor is a member of Widows Sons Masonic Bikers Association which collects contributions to bring some Christmas cheer to deprived children across west Kent and London.
Members of Maidstone’s Masonic Centre also take part in the annual appeal.
He was handed the fine when his van was parked outside Sevenoaks Masonic Hall in St John’s Hill to pick up donated items for the group’s toy run.
He said he was holding handfuls of toys when a traffic warden issued the ticket, despite a nearby sign saying drivers were allowed to stop in the road to load or unload their vehicles.
Mr Walker, who lives in London, said: “I appealed but it was turned down so I’ve paid the £25 fine before it went up to £50.
“It was obvious what I was doing. It just left a bad taste in my mouth.”
A Sevenoaks District Council spokesman said: “If a driver feels there are circumstances that justify cancelling a parking ticket there are three levels of appeal available. Two of these are direct to the council, with a third to an independent adjudicator.
“Our traffic wardens carry out regular patrols and are required to issue a parking ticket to vehicles they find parked illegally.”
From October each year the Widows Sons place collection bins in Masonic centres, including Sevenoaks and Maidstone’s Courtenay Road, so members can donate toys, which are taken to various charities on motorbikes during the Christmas toy run.