A MAN who was slapped with a fine after a "confusing" signs meant to parked in a electric vehicle space had emerged victorious after the Standard intervened. 

Alan Nash, from Great Holland, takes his 98-year-old mother to feed swans at the boating lake in Dovercourt each week.

After one visit, they returned to the Orwell Place car park to find a penalty charge notice for £70.

Mr Nash contacted the Harwich and Manningtree Standard after being left at his wits end. 

After ringing the number on the parking ticket, the operator asked Mr Nash if the car was parked in an electric vehicle space.

Mr Nash explained the space had disabled and electric diagrams on the ground and a sign saying “disabled parking only”.

However, the operator told him it was not a disabled space.

Harwich and Manningtree Standard: View - signage at the car parkView - signage at the car park (Image: Alan Nash)

This prompted Mr Nash to notice a smaller sign “a few feet away”, about eight feet up a pole, which said “electric vehicle parking only”.

After making the same trip on the following Friday, Mr Nash said he warned four other drivers who parked in the same area about potentially being fined.

He said: “At first each one of these drivers responded with aggression stating that they had disabled badges and they were in a designated disabled parking space.

“When each one of them realised I was trying to help them, they calmed down and thanked me with all saying that they were going to contact Tendring Council”.

Mr Nash said he appealed the fine, but received a refusal letter in response and requested Tendring Council provide the name of the person who made the decision.

Mr Nash said the penalty would not be paid until a court ordered them to do so and added the situation “caused distress”.

He had informed Tendring Council that he was willing to take them to court.

After the Standard intervened Tendring Council has agreed to rescind the fine. 

Mick Barry, Tendring Council cabinet member for leisure and public realm, said the complaint had been rereviewed. 

He said: “Having reviewed the gentleman’s complaint again, our officers have concluded that parking in this bay was a genuine mistake, and we will rescind the fine.

“Moving forward, we will ensure signage is larger and displayed more prominently to avoid any confusion.”