Parking bungle forces Transport for London’s red-faced refund

Published: 25 March, 2010
by JOSIE HINTON

RED-FACED staff at Transport for London (TfL) have been forced to cancel wrongly issued parking tickets after a bungle meant they put up an incorrect sign.

Art supplier Paul ­Sacki was left “livid” when he was issued with £240 worth of ­tickets while delivering to Copycat Art picture framing gallery, in Camden Road, within loading hours last week.

The Camden Mews resident said he had stopped for “no more than five or 10 minutes” at around 9am on two consecutive days – within the displayed loading hours of 7am and 4pm.

But when the New Journal contacted TfL, a spokesman said loading was “not permitted” before 10am, meaning the tickets had been “correctly issued”.

However when faced with a photograph of the sign (above), the spokesman conceded Mr Sacki had parked according to the instructions displayed, and agreed to refund the tickets.

He added that the incorrect sign would be taken down and replaced with a new notice displaying the correct loading hours of 10am until 4pm.

Mr Sacki said he felt “vindicated,” adding: “Just think how many people must have been issued with tickets. It is a disgraceful money-making exercise.”