A driver in South London has been left shocked and frustrated after receiving two penalty charge notices for parking in a disabled bay that was painted around his car while it was legally parked.
The Unfolding of an Absurd Situation
Silva Stone had left his black Audi convertible on a road in New Addington, Croydon, on 17 November. At the time, there were no parking restrictions or yellow lines in place, leading him to believe his vehicle was in a safe and legal spot.
At 11:52am that day, a Croydon Council road-marking team arrived and proceeded to paint a new disabled parking bay directly around Mr Stone's empty vehicle. By midday, the work was complete and the council truck had departed, leaving the freshly marked bay occupied by the Audi.
Fines Issued Despite Clear Error
The situation escalated a week later. Just before 8am on 24 November, a Croydon Council traffic warden was filmed issuing a penalty charge notice (PCN) to the Audi. The same officer placed a second ticket on the car the following day. Each fine carried a standard charge of £160, reducible to £80 if paid early.
Mr Stone, who captured the ticketing on video, expressed his anger at the council's actions. "This is not on, it's not fair. Clearly there is no communication… you are just running it however you want just to make profit. It's like they are bullying," he said.
Council Apology and Community Reaction
The video, shared on Facebook, quickly gained traction, attracting thousands of views and sparking heated local debate. In the comments, a resident named Sylvia Rooney explained that the bay had been installed for her use, leading some community members to criticise the Audi's owner.
However, New Addington North's Labour councillor, Kola Agboola, clarified that unless a bay is marked for a specific vehicle, any blue badge holder can use it. He added that he believed the parking team was aware of the issue and would follow up to have the fines removed.
Croydon Council later issued a direct apology to Mr Stone in the video's comments. A spokesperson confirmed: "We've looked into this and can confirm that no fines have been, or will be, issued to you for this. We were installing a new disabled bay for a resident and we do allow some time for new bays to bed in before enforcing. We are sorry for any confusion this may have caused."
Mr Stone urged the public to understand the full facts before judging and called for accountability within the council, stating, "Somebody needs to be held accountable for this because there is no communication."
