One-third success rate for those who challenged Stamford parking tickets

Conduct of parking wardens in Stamford comes under fire again as a third of parking ticket appeals made to Lincolnshire County Council are successfully overturned

A third of drivers who challenged parking tickets issued in Stamford had them successfully overturned.

Concerns have been raised about how wardens monitor town centre parking and why they wrongly hand out so many tickets.

Between April 2018 and February 2019 a total of 3,423 tickets were issued in Stamford. Drivers appealed 624 of them and 202 were overturned.

One driver has had four tickets overturned within the last six months.

Bryn Brothers is calling for Lincolnshire County Council to review its parking management after his partner received the tickets in Bath Row.

The latest was issued on February 19 for apparently parking in the two-hour zone between 9.50am and 3.20pm, but his partner left at 10am and didn't return until 2pm.

Mr Brothers said: "I will be seeking an explanation as to how we were given the ticket in the first place. The whole process seems flawed."

The council confirmed the tickets were overturned - two because foliage was blocking the signs, one at the council's discretion and the latest because evidence proved the car wasn't there all day.

Councillor Richard Davies (Con) said: "Only around five per cent of parking tickets end up being overturned.

"Sometimes this will be because of a mistake in the way they were issued, sometimes it is at our discretion in light of extenuating circumstances.

"We appreciate this must have been a frustrating experience and we are very sorry for any upset caused."

Parking services manager Matt Jones has defended the system.

He said: "Each officer is required to achieve an accreditation in parking enforcement and work quality is monitored regularly.

"The vast majority of tickets are issued without any problems."

The warden's daily patrol follows a set route through the town and each limited waiting bay should be visited at least twice.

When cars are recorded the warden makes a note of the registration plate, where the car is parked and the position of the valves on the tyres.

Mr Jones added: "This method is used up and down the country and recognised as one of the most accurate ways vehicles parking can be recorded."