Bosses at Southwark Council say they a regularly blown away by the imagination of people contesting they should not be liable for a parking or driving fine.
For example, one man wrote in to say he had been so shocked by seeing a UFO over the road that he had accidentally driven into a bus lane.
Another claimed they were colourblind so when they were caught parking on double yellow lines, they thought they had been green.
It will note come as much of a surprise to find that the bizarre excuses do not generally get people out of paying the fines… but they do cheer up some other-wise glum council workers.
Other unusual reasons drivers have given to the council’s appeals team over the last two years include:
- “It was raining. I thought I could park anywhere if the weather was bad.”
- “I don’t know what the yellow lines mean.”
- “I had to pick up and take an injured dog to the vet and did not want the animal to endure any unnecessary extra pain by limping further to the car”
- “I was only sleeping in the back of the car. The Civil Enforcement Officer could have asked me to move the car instead of giving me a ticket, although he would not have seen me as I had a blanket over my head.”