A Salford father has won his appeal against a £70 parking fine after a year-long dispute with the council. The independent Traffic Penalty Tribunal ruled in his favour, and Salford Council has since apologised.
The driver, who asked to remain anonymous, received the charge in June 2025 after being accused of stopping and parking in a restricted area on Vicarage Road, Swinton. Traffic camera images showed his vehicle in a section marked with 'No Stopping Mon-Fri 8am-5pm' signage and yellow zig-zag lines warning drivers to 'Keep Clear'.
The man argued he had not stopped or parked in the restricted area. Instead, he said he was waiting to turn right into Chatsworth Future Specialist College to collect his autistic son, and that a vehicle ahead of him was waiting for the school gates to open.
The dispute and the appeal
The complainant said he initially visited the council's Civic Hall in Swinton to protest the fine, but the discussion became heated. He told the Manchester Evening News: "They were having none of it. I just said to them, if this guy thinks I'm paying this, he's a moron. I assume it went personal after that because they wouldn't back down."
Explaining the situation on Vicarage Road, the 67-year-old said: "I was in the middle of the road with my indicator on. It was either I blocked the road or crashed into her, so I had to wait in the middle of the road. She drove in and I followed her, then Salford Council sent me this PCN with a picture of me in the middle of the road. I couldn't even view a video, I never got the video from the council."
The complainant claims the council rejected several of his appeals, which led him to refer the case to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal. Earlier this month, the independent adjudicator confirmed he had won and would not be required to pay the fine.
Council apologises
According to the dad-of-one, the adjudicator obtained a five-second clip of the alleged contravention. He said: "He obviously took one look at that video and said it's cancelled. In his own words he said 'a contravention did not occur'. That was his word, a polite way of calling them liars, as far as I'm concerned. It's almost impossible to defend yourself!"
The complainant approached the MEN out of anger to raise awareness for other drivers who use Vicarage Road. He said: "People just bottle it and they pay it because if you don't pay straight away, it doubles and you're up against all that. If it wasn't for my wife, helping me out with the appeals I wouldn't have had no chance. It's almost impossible to defend yourself, but we did and we won thanks to the adjudicator."
A Salford City Council spokesperson said: "The council accepts the decision by the Traffic Penalty Tribunal and has apologised to the complainant, we recognise the impact this has had on them. We have shared learning from this case internally to help prevent a recurrence."
