Council paints disabled bay around a car - then issues a fine

Matt Armstrong , a 46-year-old theatre worker from West Norwood in South London, initially thought he was the victim of an April Fool's joke, when he woke on the morning of April 1st to find his car sitting in a disabled bay, and slapped with a fine.

On closer inspection, the Evening Standard reported, his Renault Clio hadn't been moved - the disabled bay had been painted around it either late the previous night or early in the morning, and then wardens had slapped it with a £110 fine.

According to the Daily Mail, it eventually emerged that his neighbour had applied for a disabled bay for her husband. She had contacted them to cancel her application after her husband passed away two months ago, but they went ahead and painted it anyway - regardless of the fact that Matt's car was parked there.

After the Evening Standard contacted the council, they agreed to cancel the fine, although Matt confirmed that nobody had been in touch with him to confirm cancellation or to apologise.

Bizarre road decisions

Oddly enough, he's not the first to fall victim to this kind of bizarre decision made by a council worker. Here are five times contractors went with an unconventional approach.

1. Last May, the masterminds who work for Manchester Council were trying to paint brand new yellow lines in West Didsbury. There was a car in the way, so they decided to pick it up and move it to the other side of the road. Unfortunately for the car owner, they moved it onto double yellow lines - where the wardens immediately took the opportunity to give her a ticket.

2. In January 2012, a man in Didsbury parked between double yellow lines, and returned to find he had been given a ticket. Earlier in the day, contractors had extended the lines under his car (splattering paint onto the bumper), then a warden had arrived and issued the ticket.

3. In May 2010, a motorist in Wolverhampton left her car in her usual spot. Council workers arrived, painted yellow lines in front of her car, and behind it, and then gave her a £70 ticket.

4. Two months later, a woman returned to her car in Manchester City Centre to find it facing the other way - with yellow lines painted underneath. The Manchester Evening News had sent a photographer down to photograph the workmen who had hoisted the car into the air in order to paint underneath it. A warden had originally added a ticket to the windscreen, but removed it after being challenged by the paper.

5. And in March 2007, council workers in Bewdley, Worcester, decided to take a similar approach. They lifted the car, painted double yellow lines underneath, and then put the car back. Fortunately the driver got back in time to avoid getting a ticket.