A WOMAN has been warned she faces a £50 fine if she parks on a grass verge outside her house – despite leaving her car there for the past 10 years.

Mary Wright, 52, has parked in front of her home, in Launton Road, Bicester, for the past decade.

But last week a Police community support officer knocked on her door and told the mother-of three to move her car, as it was illegal to park adjacent to double yellow lines.

The area where Mrs Wright parked was grass verge, parallel to the pavement and the road, which is marked with double yellow lines.

She believes the grass verge is owned by one of the local councils.

To add insult to injury Mrs Wright, who owns a courier firm, was left fuming when a neighbour informed her he had been told he could park on a driveway which was also adjacent to double yellow lines.

She said: “Obviously he was not going to investigate it any further, because he was given the green light.

“Her (the Pcso’s) argument was you cannot park on your grass, because you are adjacent to double yellow lines.”

Mrs Wright said she used the grass verge to park during short visits home in the course of the day, because it could be difficult to reverse out from her driveway into Launton Road.

She said: “The reason I sometimes park outside my house is because at certain times of the day there’s a lot of traffic and it’s difficult getting out.

“If you park on the verge, it’s safer.

“I have to reverse out into the main road and you’re dicing with death every time you move in and out.

“So when I’m not in for the night, I just stick it on the grass to go in and out of the house.

“What harm am I doing parking on a piece of grass outside the house?

“I’m not causing an obstruction and I’m not causing any problems.

“I just feel with something like this it’s bordering on the ridiculous.”

She suggested police could better spend their time doing speed checks along Launton Road.

Mrs Wright added: “I’m not happy with this situation. It’s not life-changing. but it is inconvenient.

“We only have two parking spaces, so if we have visitors they would have to park in town and walk to the house.”

Traffic officer Sgt Naomi Voysey, of Thames Valley Police, said the Highway Code stated that double yellow lines applied to the carriageway, pavement and verge.

However, she could not say why the neighbour had apparently been given permission.