A WOMAN was slapped with a parking fine even though the yellow line was faded.
Neera Sodhi, 61, had to pay £65 after being caught in Brent, north-west London.
Neera Sodhi was slapped with a £65 parking fine even though the yellow line was facedAGENCYSUB
The council refused to waive the fine because they believed it was visible.AGENCYSUB
However, she claims the line wasn’t clear, and she shouldn’t have been charged.
Brent council said the car was parked in a “restricted area” – and motorists should observe road markings.
But Neera claimed: “I’ve been parking there for 20 years, and most of the road is without any lines.
“There was a yellow line repainted in front of my car, so why couldn’t they paint this bit as well?
The mum, from Brent, parked in the spot to grab some bargains in the post-Christmas sales.
However, when she returned to her car, she spotted the yellow ticket on her windscreen.
And she said she could see freshly painted lines in front of and behind her car but nothing where she was parked.
Despite contesting the fine, Brent council said she was required to pay up.
As she was leaving the country to visit family abroad, Neera paid the £65.
However, she says she wrote to the council to express her thoughts on the situation.
Neera said: “I wanted to use this street and went to the outlet to grab some sales, but I lost what I saved in the sales in parking penalty.
“I felt very cheated. I’ve been parking there for 20 years to get to work, so I was taken aback.
“They said the lines were still visible. Why couldn’t they just stretch the freshly painted lines?
She received an email from the council saying they wouldn’t waive the fine because they thought the line was visible.
She added: “I would have made a formal appeal and gone to magistrates, but because I was going away, I didn’t want it to double if I didn’t pay it in time.
“I just feel it’s very unfair. I was being honest. I wasn’t trying to cheat.
“I could have parked anywhere and used any part of the street, but this was the closest spot. There was no single line as far as I could see from my car.”
A spokesperson from Brent Council said: “There is an appeals process for all penalty charges, which we encourage residents to use if they think their parking ticket is unfair.
“In this case, the car was parked in a restricted area with a sign displaying the parking restrictions.
“We would like to reiterate that motorists should park observing road markings and signage.”