Sweet revenge

3:30pm Thursday 16th February 2006

INFURIATED traffic wardens were blocked into a service alley by a driver they ticketed earlier.

And police refused to help the NCP workers as the road was private property.

Robert Heathman, 42, fell foul of the wardens as he helped his mother, who is disabled by a stroke, into her home.

The photographer found a ticket on his windscreen last Thursday lunchtime for the minutes he had taken to help his sick mother up her path in The Green, Chingford.

He kept a close eye on his car so that he could explain the situation if a warden happened to pass.

But he believes the ticket was prepared around the corner and slapped on the vehicle before he could object.

Mr Heathman said: "I couldn't believe it. It was a matter of minutes and I explained to the warden I had simply been helping my mother home and was planning to leave straight away.

"She wasn't interested. It seemed terribly unfair that I wasn't given even a moment to speak before I got the ticket."

Shortly afterwards Mr Heathman was driving along Chingford Mount and turned into a service alley to park and go shopping.

He was amazed when he realised he had blocked the same traffic warden and her colleagues in their van in front of him in the cul-de-sac.

He said: "Imagine my surprise when I noticed the warden who had given me a ticket stuck up ahead.

"They grew very irate when they couldn't get out and called the police. When officers turned up they said it was a civil matter and they were unable to help."

Capering around to show his delight, Mr Heathman said: "There must have been four or five wardens milling around at one point, all fuming that they had been blocked in.

"I wasn't in any rush to leave.

"I did get a ticket today but I'm looking on the bright side if blocking them in by accident prevented a few hard-working residents from getting a parking ticket, then some good came out of it."

For pictures of the incident see this week's Guardian.

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