Residents of a small community in Kent have been left amused by a local 'mystery' artist who repeatedly paints over double yellow lines in a street with limited parking. The unidentified prankster has been targeting Park Place in Margate, where locals have long struggled to find parking spaces.
The Battle of the Yellow Lines
The rogue painter's antics have forced Thanet District Council (TDC) to deploy crews to repaint the lines, only for them to be covered up again soon after. Carole Laker, a retiree living in the area, said she pictures the culprit as someone 'out in the dead of night with their tin of paint'.
'All along our road are yellow lines so no one can park, except for in a couple of places,' Ms Laker explained. 'A couple of weeks ago, somebody painted over one of the yellow lines. The council then came out and cleared it off and restored the yellow lines, and now the mystery painter has been at it again.'
Community Reaction
Ms Laker said she and her neighbours have found the whole situation 'really funny'. 'It makes me laugh to picture someone out in the dead of night with their tin of paint. Is this a personal vendetta? How long will the yellow line saga go on for?' she wondered.
The affected markings are single yellow lines, which restrict parking to certain hours. The council has stated that any erased lines will be restored by its team and that parking on double yellow lines is an offence subject to penalty charge notices.
A TDC spokesperson said: 'Appropriate parking restrictions are in place in towns and villages to support parking, both off-street and on-street, while removing risks such as congestion, access, and safety. In the event that double-yellow lines have been covered or erased without authorisation, they will be repainted. Residents who note any such activity should report it to TDC.'
The council did not confirm whether it would install CCTV to catch the culprit. Ms Laker added: 'I can imagine someone thinking, "I want to park outside my own house and not be restricted by these blooming lines - what can I do?"'
