Petty bureaucracy within Brighton and Hove City Council's parking schemes is descending to new depths - along with its hounding of motorists to pay parking fines which have no sensible basis.

On September 21 I parked my car in Leighton Road and purchased and displayed a parking ticket on the dashboard of my car. The ticket was photographed by a parking attendant who, nevertheless, issued me with a penalty charge notice.

I sent the ticket I had purchased to the council and challenged the penalty notice.

At this point, to be clear, the council parking officer had in his hands the parking ticket I had bought and paid for so there could be no dispute that I had followed parking regulations and acted lawfully.

This however, is not good enough for the council because under the Road Traffic Act regulations it quoted back to me: "You must ensure the ticket is stuck to the front of the windscreen of the vehicle.

I have been issued with a £30 fine which, of course, I have refused to pay.

The fine has now escalated to £90.

I am being penalised not because I didn't buy a parking ticket, or place it in my car, or because the parking officer had not seen and validated the ticket, but because it was not stuck to my windscreen.

  • Ross Heaven, South Road Newhaven