Parking ticket - legal when I parked

[cml]

Hello folks,

I parked up on Sunday night in a perfectly legal spot. I returned on Wednesday to find a the car surrounded by cones and a ticket. Parking had been suspended on a short stretch to allow for the installation of a new bus stop opposite. I have appealed the ticket.

Where do I stand on this? When I parked there were no cones, and I saw no sign, I am pretty sure there wasn't one. If there was it was well hidden.

Thanks.

[cml]

bonjeroo said:

This happened to me a while ago in Lambeth. Parked on the usual road, residents zone, around the corner from my flat (road I lived on was L-shaped, with no parking on my part of the road). No signs saying parking had been suspended. When I went to use my car a couple of days later it was missing and signs up saying the bays had been suspended. I had to pick it up from the pound at a cost of about £150.

I appealed and was told that the guidance given was that bays could be suspended at any time, and while they aimed to give at least five days' notice, then can suspend a bay the day before if necessary. Took it as far as PATAS and ticket was deemed to be legit. I was pretty annoyed to say the least.

That is harsh!

Luckily the work had not started, so I didn't obstruct anything. The more I think of it, the more sure I am that there was no sign, certainly didn't get five days notice. I await a reply from the Council, chap on the phone was nice enough.

It may be spitting hairs, but it is a fairly fundamental thing in law that you cannot be found guilty retrospectively. Putting cones around a car and then ticketing it is, at the least, shabby.