A TYWYN businessman is fighting the council over a parking ticket he was given whilst parked outside his shop.

Frank Bridle is appealing the parking ticket because, he says, he was parked on the forecourt of the shop whilst unloading, there was space for pedestrians to pass and he was not obstructing the road.

The penalty was issued on 11 April.

Gwynedd Council told Mr Bridle that the ticket was issued correctly because he “was parked in a restricted street during prescribed hours”.

Mr Bridle, who also owns a shop in Aberystwyth, said: “I was not parked in a restricted street as I was, in fact, parked on the forecourt of my business premises.

“I was parked there in order to unload a shipment of mattresses and other furniture from my store in Aberystwyth.

“I had unloaded the van and had to close the rear doors as there was a strong wind that day which meant they were banging shut.

“I was in my store collecting together the items which were required to be loaded for the day’s deliveries when I observed the civil enforcement officer taking a picture of my van. I had displayed a sign in the front window to say that I was in the store but at no time did he enter and enquire if I was in the process of reloading.”

The council responded to Mr Bridle’s appeal, saying the ticket had been issued correctly because he was parked in a restricted street, and there was no loading activity during a 10 minute period.

A letter to me Bridle said: “Whilst it is understood that you parked on the forecourt of your premises where you have always parked in order to load and unload, your vehicle was observed for 10 minutes and during this time no such activity was witnessed by the civil enforcement officer.

“Loading / unloading activity must be seen to be taking place as a continuous activity within the observation period. Should the civil enforcement officer not witness any activity a penalty charge notice will be issued.”

Mr Bridle said: “The 10 minute observation period was not mentioned on the penalty notice and I feel that this amount of time is unreasonable to deal with the items that needed to be collected and loaded.”

If Mr Bridle’s appeal is not successful he will have to pay £70.

A Gwynedd Council spokesperson said: “The council’s civil enforcement officers monitor communities across Gwynedd to ensure that motorists follow the parking rules and regulations and to keep our towns and villages safe for everyone.

“Motorists are permitted to stop to load or unload from their vehicles, however there must be evidence of this happening continuously. The same rules apply to everyone and any motorists found to be parking illegally or not continuously loading or unloading are at risk of being issued with a fine.

“Information is included on the notice explaining how the recipient can lodge an appeal.”