A SHOPKEEPER is refusing to pay a parking fine which he says should never have been issued.


Sasha Titelbaum, 40, who owns clothes shop Jun Qi in High Road, Woodford Green was given the ticket in May.


He said: “I have a parking space in the alley next to the chip shop but on the day in question some workmen who had been fixing a manhole down there had left a barrier in front of it.


“I didn’t want to block the pavement, so I turned sideways to stop in front of the chip shop and got out to move the barrier so I could get down the alley.


“As I was returning a guy stopped me to speak to me about a cleanup campaign he was organising for shopkeepers.


“But I was out of my car for a minute at the most and this CCTV car has come by and taken a photo.”


Mr Titelbaum says he spoke to the driver of the vehicle to explain the situation, but was given short shrift.


“He just waved me away like I was a piece of rubbish,” he explained. “He just didn’t want to listen to reason.”


Mr Titelbaum has appealed the fine but Redbridge council have refused to budge.

He says that he was hit with four tickets outside his home in Whitehall Road last December as the council clamped down on pavement parking on streets across the borough.


And while he paid those fines he is contesting his latest ticket with the Parking and Traffic Appeal Service.


He said: “It’s all a bit intimidating to have to turn up in court, but this is a matter of principle.


“These cars are just money making machines for the council.”


The incident was witnessed by Peter Christofi, 50, who owns Tony’s Fish Bar.


He said: “Sasha stopped outside my shop so as not to block the whole road.


“He was only out of his car for a minute at most.


“The guy who drives this car used to have a bit of common sense, but since he’s been in the car it’s like he’s gone power mad.


“I saw an elderly lady pull up outside the hairdressers a few yards down the road from my shop a couple of weeks ago.


“She was dropping her disabled mother off and the car comes past and snaps a picture.


“What happened to her and Sasha is just a joke.”


A spokesman for the council said: "The council is unable to fully comment on this matter as there is an appeal taking place on this ticket.

"However, we would warn motorists against breaking parking rules for any period of time.

"These rules are introduced to assist the flow of traffic or to help with the safety of pedestrians and drivers, ignoring them for any period of time could hinder these efforts and inadvertently lead to a dangerous situation."

Click here to follow the Wanstead and Woodford Guardian on Twitter


Click here to follow the Wanstead and Woodford Guardian on Facebook