A 'jobsworth vermin' traffic warden has been slammed online after they dished out a parking ticket to a business vehicle that parked on double yellow lines obscured by floodwaters.
Freya Reynolds, who works at the family business Reynolds Furniture in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, said workers were left unable to park their vans on their usual industrial estate spot on Friday, November 4, amid flood chaos across the UK.
Common sense, Freya said, dictated that the four vans should be parked elsewhere and the pavement outside the flooded warehouse was chosen as a safe destination.
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However, the double yellow lines were obscured by merky floodwaters and a 'jobsworth' traffic warden opted to dish out a fine of £35. The business' warehouse backs onto Ferring Rife stream, which burst its banks.
The 31-year-old said the worker should have been more 'empathetic' given the unusual circumstances but after an initial appeal Arun District Council retorted that 'flooding would not permit parking on double yellow lines'.
Ms Reynolds, from Bognor Regis, said: "It was an unprecedented situation and we didn't have anywhere else to put it.
"The warehouse had completely flooded so we couldn't even get the vans into our yard.
"We didn't want to leave our vans on the road overnight but we felt we had no choice so we had to leave it outside the warehouse.
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"The whole road was flooded and the gym over the road was as well, so nobody was going to be using the road. That's why we didn't see it as an issue.
"It never crossed my mind that someone would give us a parking ticket."
She added that it was the "last thing you want after a stressful week".
Arun District Council eventually agreed to cancel the fine after being contacted by journalists. However, they say the penalty was issued correctly but "given the extreme circumstances' they will write off the debt 'as a gesture of goodwill".
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