A taxi driver has called for clarification over where taxis are allowed to park when collecting children from a Shrewsbury school after he was given a parking ticket.

Taffy Jones, chairman of the Taxi Owners’ Association in the town, has been a taxi driver for 24 years but said at the end of last term taxi drivers were finding it increasingly difficult to find somewhere to park when they did trips to Wakeman School.

Mr Jones said he would organise a petition for parents and other interested parties at the school when the new term starts, but in the meantime is refusing to pay the parking fine he was given.

“We’re not allowed to park up by the school any more,” he said. “There were 30 places but now you can only park four or five or six.

“Since the Gay Meadow closed I’ve been parking in Abbey Foregate car park. The council had said that private hire vehicles and taxis could park there while waiting for fares.

“On the day I got my ticket I pulled onto the car park to wait for my passengers from Wakeman School. I’m a diabetic so I had to go to the toilet because I’d been in the car all day.

“While I was in the toilet a parking attendant was by my car and when I came out he was writing out a ticket for illegal parking.

“I said I was waiting for a fare and not in anyone’s way but he said I have to pay if I want to go to the toilet. I said that was ridiculous but he just walked away.”

Mr Jones said he appealed against his ticket but was told by ParkRight officials that there were no grounds for cancelling the ticket as he had stopped outside a marked bay.

Now he has asked for clarification of the rules so that he can avoid any further problems in the car parks.

Sandy Harper, ParkRight manager, said: “Taxis are not exempt from paying parking fees in the town’s car parks or on-street parking restrictions. Therefore, if waiting in a car park, taxis will need to pay the appropriate fee to park.

“However, there are no restrictions for dropping people off and picking them up if it doesn’t require waiting.”

By Pam Griffin