The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
On patrol in all weathers
In 1978 photographer Chris Porsz snapped traffic warden Jayantilal Kotecha issuing a parking ticket in King Street. In 2020 they both returned there.
Jayantilal was born in Uganda in April 1939 and came to London in 1971 before the President of
Uganda, Idi Amin, expelled Ugandan Asians in 1972.
He moved to Peterborough in 1972 and worked as a traffic warden for a few years but left because he suffered abuse and was once threatened with a knife.
He spoke Hindi, Gujarati and Swahili and occasionally helped the police in courts as an interpreter.
He then worked in Barclays until his retirement in 1992. He is married to wife Champa Kotecha and has three children, one of whom is a doctor.
He said: “In 1978 the winter was so severe the roads were frozen and the diesel froze so there were no buses or cars. Out of 26 traffic wardens, my friend and I were the only two to turn up for our shift after walking several miles to work. I remember the working conditions were very strict and we weren’t allowed to walk in pairs, not even to lunch.”
•Street photographer Chris Porsz’s unique reunion pictures – where he recreates pictures he took decades ago – has earned him international recognition.
Most of his pictures show Peterborough people and places and they feature in his books.
His second book, Reunions II, is now available.
Go to chrisporsz.com for purchase details.
Do you have old photos of Peterborough and its people?
Do you have any pictures of Peterborough people and places from the 60s, 70s, 80s or 90s? We would love to share them with our readers. Please send them to: nigel.thornton@peterboroughtoday.co.uk