A MALVERN motorist has had to pay nearly £190 for a parking fine that could have cost him just £20.

He refused to pay the original fine after claiming the pay and display ticket machine in the Victoria Road car park was not working when he parked his car.

Malvern District Council took the case to the Worcester Small Claims Court, where a district judge found in favour of the authority.

A council car park warden told the court that when she saw the man's vehicle without a ticket on it, she tested the machine twice to make sure it was working properly before issuing a fixed penalty.

After hearing that every other vehicle in the car park was displaying a current ticket, the judge ordered the motorist to pay the council £188.29, including court costs.

"This was a highly unusual case and the judge clearly believed our car park warden's version of events," said Paul Sobczyk, the council's head of client services, after the hearing.

He said the council would probably have given the motorist the benefit of the doubt if he had left a note on his car or telephoned the council after arriving at his place of work.

"We don't want to threaten anyone and we want to be reasonable, but our parking charges are among the cheapest in the Midlands and the overwhelming majority of motorists pay them without complaint," Mr Sobczyk added.

The council's fixed penalty for motorists who do not pay and display is £40, but the amount is reduced to £20 if it is paid within seven days.

Found

TWO boys from Hereford who have been missing from their homes since Tuesday have been found safe and well.

Lee Farr, aged 12, and James Cullen, aged 15, were found at around 4pm yesterday on the outskirts of Hereford by police officers following information from a member of the public.

The boys have now been returned to their homes.

The £20 parking fine that turned into £190

A MALVERN motorist has had to pay nearly £190 for a parking fine that could have cost him just £20.

He refused to pay the original fine after claiming the pay and display ticket machine in the Victoria Road car park was not working when he parked his car.

Malvern District Council took the case to the Worcester Small Claims Court, where a district judge found in favour of the authority.

A council car park warden told the court that when she saw the man's vehicle without a ticket on it, she tested the machine twice to make sure it was working properly before issuing a fixed penalty.

After hearing that every other vehicle in the car park was displaying a current ticket, the judge ordered the motorist to pay the council £188.29, including court costs.

"This was a highly unusual case and the judge clearly believed our car park warden's version of events," said Paul Sobczyk, the council's head of client services, after the hearing.

He said the council would probably have given the motorist the benefit of the doubt if he had left a note on his car or telephoned the council after arriving at his place of work.

"We don't want to threaten anyone and we want to be reasonable, but our parking charges are among the cheapest in the Midlands and the overwhelming majority of motorists pay them without complaint," Mr Sobczyk added.

The council's fixed penalty for motorists who do not pay and display is £40, but the amount is reduced to £20 if it is paid within seven days.