A persistent motorist who said road signs in Sidcup town centre were too confusing has had his penalty charge quashed.

During a £1.8million revamp of the High Street, a change from controlled to restricted parking zones on some roads allowed Bexley Council to remove yellow lines in these areas, leading to confusion about where people could park.

In one area of Hadlow Road dubbed ‘the little trap’, which only takes two cars, 116 penalty charge notices (PCNs) were given out in a matter of weeks.

One victim of this, photographer Derek Hope, appealed to the council with nearly 50 pages of evidence, research and photos after being ticketed on December 27 last year.

He claimed one sign was obscured by trees, and another badly placed, but his two appeals were rejected.

He said: “The parking control people clearly work on the principle that most people will just pay up for a quiet life.

"It's a disgrace. They should be ashamed of themselves.

"According to government guidelines, parking control is to manage the free flow of traffic not to generate money for the councils.”

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He added: “It was only after my persistence and the pressure put on the council by ward councillors that a sign was eventually erected.

“The council admitted that since issuing my PCN, they had put up a sign at the exact spot where I parked.”

In the end, Mr Hope took his case to an independent adjudicator, who voted in his favour and the ticket has been withdrawn.

He added: “It was more a matter of principle.

“I was shocked that even when it was pointed out that the signing was missing and confusing, they continued to issue penalty charge notices.

“They eventually erected a proper sign but still refused to rescind my penalty.”

Mr Hope will donate the £110 which the council could have charged him to the Cardio Myopathy Association, in memory of his friend Geoff Garvey who died last year.

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Bexley councillor June Slaughter said: “It is a pity that Mr Hope had to go to such lengths to get his penalty charge notice quashed.

“It should have been rescinded as soon as the council realised the confusion that was being caused in that area by lack of signs in the immediate area and the confusing signage outside the nearby library.”