Bailiffs threat to grandad, 89, over ‘untidy’ parking
AN 89-year-old grandad has been threatened with bailiffs coming to seize his possessions after Cheshire East Council fined him for ‘untidy parking’.
Roger Murray, of Adlington, says he was given a £50 fine for parking ‘slightly over the line’ in a space at the Grosvenor multi-storey, in Macclesfield centre.
He appealed saying the bay was too small and he had put his Landrover Defender as close as he could to the wall on the other side of the space, while still allowing a passenger to get out.
But the council says other spaces at the car park would have accommodated his vehicle and his appeal was rejected.
He refused to pay the fine so now the amount owed has increased to £158 - plus any costs incurred by the bailiffs’ visit.
Roger, who has two daughters and two grandchildren, said: “I dare not leave home now as they could turn up at any time it’s frightening.
“I probably should have paid the fine but for a trivial offence of untidy parking this is over the top.
“The council is partly at fault as their allocated spaces are to much too small.
“The old Defender is not a big vehicle in this
day and age, tall maybe, but not as wide as today’s SUVs.
“I am so incensed, the council should show more compassion. I’ll get the barricades up and wait for them, I’d rather go to prison than pay the fine, it’s totally wrong.”
Roger, who received his ticket in May, even returned to the parking space and took a picture of his Landrover in it to prove the bay was too small.
He has shared his story on Facebook, where it has attracted hundreds of supportive comments.
Upon refusing Roger’s appeal and then the fine not being paid Cheshire East Council passed the matter onto bailiffs.
A spokesman for Cheshire East Council said: “Every penalty charge notice (PCN) issued is supported by a range of evidence, including a photographic record.
“In this case, the PCN was issued correctly.
“Regulations state that a vehicle must be parked within the marked bays.
“In this case, the vehicle was positioned in a way that prevented other drivers from using the neighbouring parking space.
“The car park in question has some bays that are noticeably smaller and are marked up to warn drivers of this fact. It also has areas on certain floors that can accommodate the wider vehicle.
“When any PCN is issued we offer a number of opportunities for the driver to pay and the driver is given very clear notice of the consequences and timeline of what happens if they do not pay.
“We only engage debt recovery enforcement agents following continued requests for payments being refused or ignored. We pursue PCNs to protect the public purse. We do not seek to intimidate residents or service users.
“The debt recovery enforcement agents wear body cameras when carrying out their duties and are governed by a very strict code of conduct when working on our behalf.”