The driver says he parked his car in a standard residents space outside his home before going on holiday, leaving it legally and correctly positioned on a road he uses regularly. While he was away, council contractors arrived and painted disabled markings on the tarmac, laying out the white box and wheelchair symbol around the stationary vehicle rather than suspending the bay or arranging for it to be moved first.
On his return the Audi owner found fresh lines on the road, a fully marked disabled bay framing his car and a penalty charge notice under the wiper accusing him of parking illegally. He filmed the scene and shared it on social media, showing paint sprayed neatly up to the tyres and around the bumper, evidence that the road markings were added after he left the vehicle. The footage quickly triggered anger online, with many accusing the local authority of entrapment and using confused motorists as an easy source of income.
Croydon Council, which has faced intense scrutiny over its finances after being effectively declared bankrupt in recent years, is under heavy pressure to justify every pound it spends and raises. Parking charges and fines form a significant chunk of that revenue, and critics say cases like this damage trust in how those powers are used. While councils are allowed to change restrictions, statutory guidance expects them to give residents clear warning, usually with advance notices, bay suspensions or temporary signs before enforcement begins.
The driver is now appealing the fine, arguing that he could not possibly have known the bay would be redesignated while he was away and that no reasonable motorist should be penalised for obeying the rules that were in place when they parked. Legal experts note that adjudicators commonly cancel tickets where markings or signs change without proper notice, especially if the vehicle has not moved. For Croydon, the episode raises a wider question. A council fighting to restore its finances also has to repair its relationship with residents who feel they are being treated less like neighbours and more like a revenue stream.