Delight for window cleaner Bob

A WINDOW cleaner has hailed a 'victory for common sense' after his town centre parking fine was overturned on appeal.

Bob Essam, 48, of Torquay, was given a £70 ticket for parking his van in Fleet Street one morning while he was cleaning a local shop.

A NCP-employed parking official left the ticket on his windscreen saying he was not allowed to stop unless he was unloading.

Bob said the actions of officials were driving people away from the town centre and making it impossible for workers to carry out vital maintenance.

Now, six months after he got the ticket, he has been told to ignore the fine by an independent adjudicator who said parking rules in the area are not clear enough.

Bob said: "I could have just accepted it like most people, got a bit angry and let them have the £70. But I thought it was so unjust that I had to make a stand.

"Thankfully the adjudicator listened to what I had to say and agreed with me that the rules were not clear. I had started to lose hope that common sense had gone out of the window but this shows if you fight for what is right you get a reward.

"It's a victory for common sense."

Bob's problems started when he stopped his van outside Topshop and went inside to clean the floors.

He had stopped in the same area for the past 30 years but on this particular morning fell foul of a Civil Enforcement Officer who slapped a ticket on his windscreen.

Bob said it was 'diabolical' that some officials were not prepared to listen to reason and were interpreting the rules too strictly.

He added: "The town centre is dying on its feet and people are deserting it. Some of these parking officials need to be told they are not the only ones with jobs to do."

A Torbay Council spokesperson said: "Torbay Council appreciates that window cleaners have a difficult job to do.

"As such we have offered dispensation to window cleaners to use vans in Fleet Street before 10am for the pumping of water.

"On this occasion it would appear that Mr Essam was not clear to the extent which this dispensation applied and as such this Penalty Charge Notice was issued.

"On the advice of the adjudicator we will be contacting Mr Essam direct to once again advise how to operate in Fleet Street in such a way that complies with the parking restrictions and therefore avoid the issue of further PCNs."