A PENSIONER has been slapped with a £767 fine for filling in a pothole, but has vowed revenge – saying that the local authority “don’t know what’s coming for them.”
Claudio Trenta, 72, filled a hole at a pedestrian crossing using some cold bitumen in Barlassina, Italy
A pensioner has been slapped with a £767 fine for filling in a pothole and now says that the local authority “don’t know what’s coming for them”Facebook
Claudio Trenta, 72, used some cold bitumen to fill a pothole at a pedestrian crossingGETTY_HUB
But the 72-year-old man is going to appeal the fine claiming that the council was negligent for not repairing the 30cm-wide hole.
Claudio said that he previously reported the pothole to his council several times before deciding to repair it himself.
Days later, he shared a photo on Facebook of the letter he received from the police accusing him of violating the local Highway Code.
Cops told him that he was fined for carrying out a dangerous job in a public space without permission from the local authorities.
Now, Claudio has been ordered to restore the pothole to its original state.
He told Corriere della Sera: “If they think I’m an idiot, they are wrong, They’ve provoked me, and so now I’m filing a countercomplaint against the council for negligence.”
Most people on social media are on Claudio’s side – and think that he shouldn’t have been fined for investing his time in repairing the road.
One said: “Today I sent a protest email to Barlassina town hall. I’m aware of the realities in Calabria and Sicily, where the streets have been reduced to sieves and if people don’t take action themselves, everything collapses.”
Another wrote: “The council ought to be reimbursing you for the money spent on a bag of bitumen.”
Even the undersecretary at the Ministry of Culture in Italy, Vittorio Sgarbi, joined the debate and said: “In addition to the Highway Code, there is common sense.
“Common sense should have prompted the local police to thank this gentleman.”
This comes after a mum was furious after she was hit with a £60 fine for “staying 16 seconds” too long in a car park – and the company rejected her appeal.
Plus, a pensioner claims that he would rather go to jail than pay an unfair £100 parking fine.