- Published: 10:54, 24 Jun 2023
- Updated: 10:54, 24 Jun 2023
AN ENGLAND cricket fan has been hit with a fake parking ticket - despite insisting he did nothing wrong.
The supporter attending England's opening Ashes defeat to Australia at Edgbaston was shocked when coming back to his car to find an angry notice posted on the windscreen.
It told him he could be "liable for a fixed penalty charge" for illegal parking in Birmingham's Oakfield Road when attending the highly-anticipated cricket clash.
Yet both West Midlands Police and Birmingham city council have now denied any responsibility.
And the fan fears frustrated local residents were taking their own vigilante action against crowds clogging up their streets.
The motorist was not parked on any yellow lines and eventually realised the ticket should be "completely unenforceable".
The notice was printed in bold black and white letters, according to the Birmingham Mail.
It read: "WARNING! DO NOT IGNORE!
"It would appear that you have either parked in an inconsiderate manner and may be obstructing a footway crossing, or parked less than 10 metres from a road junction obstructing other road users' views."
The notice went on to suggest the driver could otherwise have "parked too near a pedestrian refuge creating difficulties for large vehicles".
ASTON SMARTIN Driver wipes out £170k supercar on mountain pass and amazingly walks away
IN THE SHADE Why wearing sunglasses when driving could cost you a £5,000 fine
PARKING FURY Our seaside town is ruined by second home owners... there's no space
PARKED OFF I was shocked to come home and find yellow lines painted outside my home
Also suggested was that he had "illegally parked on the footway obstructing the free passage of pedestrians, wheelchairs, pushchairs and guide dog users, all of which have priority".
The warning concluded: "You could be liable for a fixed penalty charge. Text and use approved by West Midlands Police."
Yet the force has said they did not issue the warning, as did the city council.
The stunned motorist said: "I thought I'd been given a ticket when I got back to my car but a quick read made it clear it was completely unenforceable.
"I appreciate residents living near Edgbaston must get tired of people parking in their streets, but creating some kind of quasi-police note isn't the right way to address it in my opinion.
"They should campaign for double yellow lines if they really want to keep their street clear - although I'm willing to bet they knew the cricket ground was there before they moved in."
England captain Ben Stokes' side narrowly lost the thrilling 1st Test by two wickets last Tuesday, the day after the fake fine threat was issued.
The number of authentic parking fines issued has soared by 24 per cent, recent DVLA figures revealed - with a record 5.7m tickets handed out by private firms in the second half of 2022.
Yet one blundering local authority was forced into an apology last month after wrongly slapping fines on every driver in High Wycombe's busy rail station car park.
Also this year, and also in Birmingham, a disabled woman was left shocked after receiving a £50 fine for parking in a designated space.
The following month, another woman was ordered to pay £65 after parking in Brent, north-west London, despite claiming any yellow line there had faded.
Motorists have recently been warned they could be fined for using a parent-and-child bay even if they have a kid with them.
Facebook Conversations