PARKING wardens and their handlers don’t often win popularity contests and the rumpus at Didcot Parkway’s car park is indicative of that.

It’s the reason why the seemingly local dispute over tickets at a commuter train station in Oxfordshire yesterday was getting plenty of coverage on BBC’s Radio 2 and a national newspaper.

People just get bugged by the whole enforcement of parking rules.

Some of these rules are perfectly understandable – blocking off access for the disabled or causing danger for other road users.

But where is the common sense in slapping a ticket on a 4x4 because its big chunky tyres are on the lines in the middle of a commuter car park?

The wardens may be victims of circumstance. It’s quite feasible the spaces were marked long ago when vehicles were quite a bit narrower, while the cynic would wonder if the managers of the land are keeping spaces tight so to pack more cars in and maximise revenue.

There were various measurements about the width of spaces flying around yesterday, but by common consent it would appear the majority of them are narrower than industry guidelines. We’d ask station operator First Great Western if this is a good way to treat customers.

After all, plenty of them have to put up with being squeezed on board the trains into London without replicating the sensation when they try to park.