A woman has hit out after receiving a parking fine - claiming the single yellow line was faded. Neera Sodhi, 61, had to pay £65 after being caught. But she says the line wasn't clear and she shouldn't have been charged.
Neera said: "I've been parking there for 20 years and most of the road is without any lines. There was a yellow line repainted in front of my car, so why couldn't they paint this bit as well?”
The mum parked in the spot on 30 December 2022 so she could grab some bargains in the post-Christmas sales. However, when she returned to her car, she spotted the yellow ticket on her windscreen. She claims she could see freshly painted lines in front of and behind her car, but nothing where she was parked.
Despite contesting the fine, Brent Council said she was required to pay up. As she was leaving the country to visit family abroad, Neera paid the £65. However, she says she wrote to the council to let them know what she thought of the situation.
Neera said: "I wanted to make use of this street and went to the outlet to grab some sales but what I saved in the sales I lost in parking penalty. I felt very cheated. I’ve been parking there for 20 years to get to work so I was very taken aback.
“They said the lines were still visible. Why couldn’t they just stretch the freshly painted lines? I've written back to them that its very unfair. Then I got an email saying they weren’t going to waive fine because they think the line is still visible.
“I would have made a formal appeal and gone to magistrates but because I was going away, I didn’t want it to double if I didn’t pay it in time. I just feel it's very unfair. I was being honest, I wasn’t trying to cheat. I could have parked anywhere and used any part of the street but this was the closest spot. There was no single line as far as I could see from my car.
“I don’t want them to just waive my fine, I don’t want other people to get charged. They need to paint the lines again.”
A spokesperson for Brent Council said: “There is an appeals process for all penalty charges which we encourage residents to use if they think that their parking ticket is unfair.
"In this case the car was parked in a restricted area which has a sign displaying the parking restrictions.
“We would like to reiterate that motorists should park observing road markings, as well as signage.”
