I was fined £65 for parking even though the yellow line had faded – I shouldn’t have had to pay

A WOMAN was hit with a parking penalty despite the yellow line fading.

Neera Sodhi, 61, has been fined £65 after being caught in Brent, north west London.

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However, she claims the line wasn’t clear and she shouldn’t have been charged.

Brent City Council said the car had been parked in a “restricted area” – and motorists should heed road markings.

But Neera claimed: “I’ve parked there for 20 years and most of the street is lineless.

“There was a yellow line repainted in front of my car, so why couldn’t they paint that piece too?

The Brent mom parked at the spot to snag some bargains in the post-Christmas sale.

However, when she returned to her car, she spotted the yellow ticket on her windshield.

And she said she could see freshly painted lines in front of and behind her car, but nothing where she was parked.

Despite contesting the fine, Brent City Council said she had to pay.

When she left the country to visit family abroad, Neera paid the £65.

However, she says she wrote to the council to express her thoughts on the situation.

Neera said: “I was going to use this street and went to the outlet to snag some sales but I lost what I saved selling in parking fines.

“I felt very betrayed. I’ve parked there to get to work for 20 years so I was amazed.

“They said the lines were still visible. Why couldn’t they just stretch the freshly drawn lines?

She received an email from city officials saying they would not waive the fine because they thought the line was visible.

She added: “I would have lodged a formal appeal and gone to the judges, but because I walked away I didn’t want it to double up if I didn’t pay it on time.

“I just think it’s very unfair. i was honest I wasn’t trying to cheat.

“I could have parked anywhere and used any part of the road, but this was the next point. There wasn’t a single line as far as I could see from my car.”

A Brent Council spokesman said: “There is an appeals process for all fines which we recommend residents use if they feel their parking ticket is unfair.

“In this case, the car was parked in a restricted area with a parking restrictions sign.

“We would like to reiterate that drivers should pay attention to road markings and signs when parking.”