A motorist has been fined six times for parking outside his own flat – because the designated bay isn’t long enough for his car.
Tom Mulholland started receiving £35 fines for parking his Volkswagen Golf in May.
The 29-year-old says Southampton city council is being “highly disingenuous” with claims his vehicle blocks the pavement.
However, the council has rejected his appeals against the fines.
Now he is launching a new appeal but faces having to pay £660 if unsuccessful.
Mr Mulholland, who lives in Southampton, Hants, said: “It just doesn’t seem like there’s any clarity.
“These flats were office blocks before being converted in 2017. The council approved these spaces and now I’m being fined for parking outside my home, which I think is unreasonable.
“If the council were to say these spaces are too small, I’d understand, but they approved them in the first place – so perhaps they shouldn’t have been approved initially or otherwise it doesn’t seem right to get tickets for parking where you’re supposed to.
“I think it’s highly disingenuous of the council to argue that I’m obstructing the highway given the width of the pavement.
“There are double yellow lines in place on the other side of the pavement to enforce no parking in the road in order to prevent obstruction of the highway.”
‘You have to do something’
He added: “I think many people would just accept it and pay these fines but when it’s a case of parking in a space outside your own home and you’re repeatedly handed them, you have to do something otherwise I just won’t be able to park here.”
In a statement, Eamonn Keogh, a councillor at Southampton city council, said: “No waiting restrictions apply to any adjacent footway and verge to maintain access for pedestrians, pushchairs, wheelchairs, mobility scooters and the visually impaired.
“Vehicles parked in a private property designated parking space that overhang on to the footway where a restriction is on the adjacent carriageway would be subject to enforcement.
“If the resident has submitted a stage 2 appeal and this has been rejected by the council, they are entitled to submit an appeal to the traffic penalty tribunal.”