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Confusion over parking fine
A pensioner has been left scratching his head after being slapped with a parking fine.
Tattooed Bill Hazelwood cannot fathom why he was hit with a 25 penalty after leaving his car in Hemel Hempstead's Queensway car park to go shopping.
The penalty notice states that he had failed to display his parking ticket clearly.
However, the 69 year old, of Whitebroom Road in the town, said his pay and display ticket was in clear view on the dashboard when he left the vehicle last Thursday (March 4).
He was further perplexed because the traffic warden had included details of the paid-for ticket on the penalty notice -including the expiry time and ticket code.
"How does he know the expiry time is 16.05 if he can't see the ticket," said the retired grandfather.
"If he can't see the ticket how does he know that information.
"I'm not a poor man but I'm not a rich man. I would have paid it if my grandson had not noticed this.
"What I'm wondering is how many people pay those 25 fines when they shouldn't be.
"I don't like being ripped off and I'm worried about other people that might get ripped off. Some people can't afford 25."
Louise Manders, spokesman for Dacorum Borough Council, which employs the parking wardens, said: "The penalty charge notice could have been issued for any one of a number of reasons and we can't comment further without knowing all the details.
"If this customer feels that he has been wrongly issued with a penalty charge notice we would advise him to appeal in writing so that this can be fully investigated."
She said the term - failure to display a valid ticket - covers a number of contraventions including being parked in a long stay rather than short stay bay or not being correctly parked within a bay.
Mrs Manders added that traffic wardens do not record the specifics of a breach so it would be impossible to find out exactly what Mr Hazelwood had done wrong.
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Weather for Hemel Hempstead
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -0 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 6 mph
Wind direction: South west
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Cloudy
Temperature: -4 C to 2 C
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