Leaves on the yellow lines

A driver parked in a turning triangle at the top end of the cul-de-sac in the street where I, and 73 other households, live.

The full width of the triangle is needed to carry out a three-point turn.

I and a Sainsbury’s driver had to carry out a five-point turn. Large delivery lorries would have to reverse all the way down the 180-metre street if the triangle is blocked, a dangerous operation at the best of times.

Incensed by this driver’s lack of consideration for residents, I phoned both the county council’s parking control office and the police (non-emergency line).

A uniformed Traffic Enforcement Officer (TEO) arrived promptly, only to announce he could not ticket the driver because there were leaves on the yellow lines!

There were a few patches of leaves on the lines but not enough to obliterate the continuity of the lines, let alone to mislead an innocent driver.

Two Community Support Officers then arrived and fully supported the TEO in his bizarre interpretation of the law, one of them accusing me of being patronising when I pointed out that you could still see the yellow lines.

The message of hope to drivers is that, if you can’t find double yellows with a few leaves around them, make sure you carry a bag of leaves in the boot of your car so that you can sprinkle them as required.

But do make sure there are some deciduous trees in the street where you park.

Traffic Enforcement Officers aren’t that stupid... are they?

ANNE ASHLEY William Street Marston