A FURIOUS driver has been issued with his first penalty fine for parking outside his home...even though he has regularly parked there for more than 25 years!

Thurrock Council issued the £35 fine to Ahmed Yoozooph of Tennyson Walk, Tilbury. He believes he may have received it for parking too close to a dropped kerb.

Mr Yoozooph, who has lived at the address since 1992, claims the kerb was installed six years ago, and that he has never had a problem parking there before getting this ticket.

It has sparked a battle to get the penalty over turned.

Appeals to Thurrock Council over the fine have so far has been rejected, and it has prompted Mr Yoozooph to now take things further by contacting his MP.

He said: “I am not going to be bullied, as I have not committed an offence.

“I parked my car outside my house as normal.

“I was not obstructing my neighbour’s dropped kerb as they were able to drive in and out.

“The space I was parked in was outside my house.

“The dropped pavement was not blocked by my car and in that position, it is not a special parking place.

“Now this is getting out of hand, because it means that at anytime you can approach Tennyson Walk, and put a penalty notice on anybody’s car that is in that space.”

Mr Yoozooph continued: “If the council followed their rules, there were cars parked next to me whose driver would also have been issued with a ticket.

“We were all parked correctly though.”

In a letter to Mr Yoozooph, the council wrote: “On the day in question, the vehicle was observed to be adjacent to the dropped kerb.

“I am sure you can appreciate that parking blocking or partially blocking a dropped kerb used for access can be obstructive.”

The authority has indicated that Mr Yoozooph could face a fine doubled to £70 if he does not make payment.

A Thurrock Council spokesman said: "Penalty Charge Notices (PCN) are always issued with appeal information on the reverse of the ticket. If a resident believes a PCN has been issued incorrectly, the council encourages the resident to send full details to the appeals team through the contact information displayed on the ticket.

"If a ticket is believed to have been issued incorrectly it will be cancelled, however, the council will not terminate valid tickets.

"If a residents disagrees with the findings of the appeals process, they may choose to independently seek the view from a tribunal.