A ROW has broken out after volunteers for a charity that serves meals to homeless people were given parking tickets by ticket wardens.

Volunteers from Worcester Street Cafe reacted with anger to the £70 fixed penalty notices they were given for being parked on double yellow lines.

However, Worcester City Council says wardens had asked volunteers to move their cars to a nearby car park before issuing the tickets.

Penny Perrett, one of the volunteers handed a fixed penalty notice said she “knew they were in the wrong parking on double yellows,” but had hoped for more understanding.

Mrs Perrett told the Worcester News that for the past 18 months, four nights a week, the charity has been operating the street cafe in Copenhagen Street. She said the city centre location was chosen as food is served on portable tables outside the old fire station, in the quiet road.

Mrs Perrett said: “Volunteers park their cars on double yellow lines and unload food. During the hour when the cafe is in operation no one ever needs to use the road and, if they did, volunteers are present and would move their vehicles.

On Wednesday, Liz Purnell and I were serving. Two officers appeared and we were surprised to see them putting a ticket on Liz’s car. We would have moved but no, the ticket remained on her car and whilst we were talking the other officer went a bit further down the road and put a ticket on my car.

"Why couldn’t they gently ask us to move? We were not causing any obstruction.”

After the street cafe posted on Facebook about the tickets, outraged supporters donated money to pay for their fines but were offered a refund after volunteers said the tickets had been cancelled.

However, a city council spokesman said: “The cars that received notices were parked on yellow lines, in breach of parking and loading restrictions. Our officers advised the volunteers they were parked illegally and suggested they moved their vehicles a few yards away to Copenhagen Street Car Park.

"Some of the volunteers did move, however in one case the request was refused and in another a vehicle had been left unattended in an illegally parked position. Notices were issued for these two.”

The spokesman added he was not aware the parking tickets had been cancelled.

READ MORE: City centre restaurant makes generous offer to Worcester Street Cafe