Driver furious over parking fine from 'plain clothes' warden 'hiding behind tree on road that doesn't exist'

A FURIOUS motorist claims he was handed a parking ticket from a "plain clothes" warden who was hiding behind a tree on a road that doesn't technically exist.

Hitesh Pabari, from Harrow, London, has been locked in a five-month dispute with the council after refusing to cough up for the penalty.

He has even compiled an entire folder of evidence cataloguing the reasons why he should not have been given the fine in May in the first place.

But despite gaining the support of his MP, his complaints have continued to be ignored by Harrow Council.

Hitesh claims the covert parking warden broke the London Council’s Parking Enforcement Code of Practice as she did not wear the correct uniform and could not be seen from behind the tree.

Furthermore, he says she failed to even sign the ticket he was handed.

"The lady (parking officer) was waiting behind a tree hiding out of sight so she could issue me with a fine before I could see her," Hitesh told MyLondon.

"You can clearly tell she was in a rush because she only took one picture of my car when usually on a parking charge you get pictures from each angle.

"The lady was also not wearing any uniform. I have checked and this breaks the rules for how a parking inspector should act."

He says the road on the ticket does not exist and its name can't be found on maps – and Hitesh even claims he has evidence from the AA suggesting the listed location is incorrect.

A web search for 'Greenhill Way – Service Rd' does not produce any results – as the road is visible but has no name.

It is a street with parking on, double yellows and resident parking signs, but has no official name or signage.

Hitesh got in touch with Bob Blackman, the Conservative MP for Harrow East, to support his complaint – but he too has also been fobbed off.

"My trust in this council has been completely broken," Hitesh said.

He says he is still being pressured to fork out for the fine and the council has refused to cancel it.

According to the London Council’s Code of Practice on Civil Parking Enforcement, wardens "must wear a clearly identifiable uniform."

"This should be readily distinguishable from those worn by the police and traffic wardens, but still allow easy public recognition," they said.

"To undertake enforcement action, a CEO must be clearly identifiable and in the full uniform specified (allowing for variations according to local weather conditions)."

PRINCIPLED PARKER

Hitesh maintains the woman warden violated the ethical codes in force across the capital.

But a spokesperson for Harrow Council simply said of Hitesh's claims: "If there is an appeal then the driver should follow the process on the back of the PCN by emailing [email protected]."

Dedicated driver Hitesh previously waited over EIGHT MONTHS for a £1.50 refund from Brent Council as a matter of "principle".

He paid the small sum to park his car on Ealing Road, Wembley, in January 2016 but said the cash became jammed in the machine.

The businessman said he was told by customer service staff to find another machine to pay into or risk receiving a fine.

"I asked the parking services if they could take my registration number so they know I paid the money but the man said no, I had to find another machine and pay again," he explained.

The council said the hold-up was because Hitesh refused to give his bank details.

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