Traffic ticket anger sparks review plea

A Shropshire man is calling for a judicial review over the actions of the county's parking enforcers after a sign was moved amid a row over a £60 ticket.

ParkRight bosses had the Shrewsbury road sign uprooted and moved during a year-long battle by resident Brenig James to have a ticket cancelled - a battle he finally won at tribunal last week.

An investigation into the matter has been launched by the county council but Paul Beaman, of Duchess Drive, Bridgnorth, says a truly independent investigation must be carried out.

He said: "As the facts would tend to suggest a gross abuse of process or worse, an attempt to pervert the course of justice, such actions can only be investigated by a judicial review.

"I am contacting Phillip Dunne MP to press for such an investigation," he said.

"The credibility of ParkRight and their partners is zero at present, having made such a mess of much of what should have been a system to ensure the lack of congestion on the streets, especially our market towns."

Mr Dunne confirmed he had received several complaints about ParkRight recently, but said as he had not yet received the letter from Mr Beaman he did not want to comment.

ParkRight - which is a partnership between the county council and the district and borough councils - met county council bosses three months after issuing Mr James, of Whitchurch Road, Shrewsbury, with a ticket and asked them to move a sign, the positioning of which was at the heart of the appeal.

Shropshire County Council instructed contractors to remove the sign and remount it further along the pavement, bringing the area where the car was parked inside a restricted zone.

But Hugh Dennatt, Group Manager for Traffic Engineering for the county council, said the system works.

"ParkRight are enforcing traffic regulation orders in accordance with guidelines and rules," he said.

"Occasionally, due to oversights or problems with markings or signs, appeals will go through.

"In recent cases that has worked well, and either the decision has been upheld or the parking money has been refunded."

By Pam Griffin