Enforcer parks bike on double yellows to get shopping in

Published on Thursday 24 February 2011 13:09

MOST drivers have done it at some time - taken a gamble by parking on a double yellow while nipping into a shop. But you don't expect to see one of the Capital's notorious enforcers taking the same liberty with the law they are supposed to lay down.

Unfortunately for the parking attendant pictured here, an eagle-eyed passer-by spotted him and was so outraged that he snapped him as he left his moped on double yellow lines and popped into the supermarket.

Builder Steve Thom, who took the photographs, saw the parking attendant outside Tesco at Holy Corner.

He said: "I was parked just up the street when I saw him parking at the Tesco and I thought 'OK . . .' At first I thought he was getting off to ticket the invisible car in James Bond but it was quite obvious he was going in to get his sandwich or something."

Mr Thom, 35, from Leith, said he had had more than his fair share of brushes with the Capital's parking attendants, and resented seeing one act with disregard for the rules when they came down so hard on other city residents.

He said: "I look on parking tickets as an occupational hazard. We fight quite a lot of them because a lot of them are issued illegally and we're successful on more than three-quarters of them.

"It's hard to take when you see him doing this. We often don't have a choice if we've got to unload tools at a job, but we always fight the ones we disagree with."

The firm, which provides parking enforcement for Edinburgh City Council, NSL, said an investigation had been launched into the incident, which happened at around 11.15am last Thursday.

The company's director of communications, Tim Cowen, said: "Any driver who parks illegally runs the risk of getting a ticket, and this is no different for parking attendants.

"We can see no reason for the parking depicted in these photographs, and have started an investigation. We cannot comment on individual members of staff, but we will ensure appropriate action is taken."

Spokesman for the Association of British Drivers, Brian MacDowall, said: "Nearly all motorists accept the need for parking charges and parking restrictions, although they would quibble about the extent of the charges and the restrictions.

"However the law must be enforced evenly, impartially and without favour. You can't have a situation where an enforcement officer is breaking the law, that's wrong and it sends the wrong message."