A London-based musician has been left stunned and out of pocket after receiving two parking fines for allegedly parking in a disabled bay that was painted around his car after he had already parked.
The 'Madness' Unfolds in Croydon
The bizarre incident occurred in a residential area of Croydon, south London, on November 17. The driver, Afrobeats artist known as Silvastone, captured the whole event on his CCTV camera. Footage shows his black Audi convertible parked legally by the pavement, with no yellow lines or disabled bay markings in sight.
In the video, a worker from a Highway Maintenance truck marked 'line painting' is seen taking measurements near the Audi. He then proceeds to mark a single white line on the road, aligning it with a drain. The worker continues to add further road markings, effectively creating a brand new disabled parking bay around the stationary vehicle.
Double Penalty for a Bay He Didn't Park In
The situation escalated days later when a traffic warden arrived at the scene. The warden took photographs of the Audi, now seemingly positioned within a freshly painted disabled bay, and issued a parking penalty. Silvastone shared that the same warden returned the following day to issue a second fine, with the first ticket still visible on his windscreen.
In a video posted to social media, a frustrated Silvastone said: "I park my car and it's not in any sort of disabled bay or restricted parking as you can see. There's no yellow line. I'm thinking I'm safe... Lo and behold some madness is about to happen."
He described watching the footage back: "On my little camera I've got, they are making a disabled bay around my car. Mad!"
Calls for Accountability and Fairness
The artist insisted he was parked perfectly legally before the council's painters arrived. He accused Croydon Council of a severe lack of communication and suggested the authority was more interested in generating profit than fair enforcement.
"This is not on. This is not fair," he stated. "Clearly there's no communication, you guys [the council] are just running it however you want in order to make profit. It kind of feels like they're bullying – 'cause how can you do this?'"
He has called for the council to be held accountable for the error, which he says caused unnecessary stress. Metro has approached Croydon Council for a comment on the incident and the issued fines.
