Parking wardens target RNLI volunteers while they were dealing with an emergency
They were issued with £100 fines.
An RNLI crew were handed parking fines while they were out dealing with an emergency at sea.
The four volunteers had legally parked their vehicles using parking permits that they pay the local council £2,000-a-year to use and also had on display RNLI stickers.
They all spent four hours on a 999 call dealing with three paddle boarders who got into difficulty in Portland Harbour, Dorset.
When they returned they found their four cars – a silver BMW, a grey Mitsubishi, a white Citroen van and a blue VW Transporter – had yellow parking fines on the windscreens.
The traffic warden said the parking permits and RNLI stickers could be a forgery, according to a witness.
Dorset Council has since apologised for the mistake.
RNLI crew member Leon Weaver wrote on Facebook: ‘Thanks Dorset Council for issuing 4 volunteer lifeboat crew’s vehicles with parking tickets whilst on an emergency call out, even with permits on the windscreens which they charge us £2,000 a year for.
‘The traffic warden stated that anyone could have printed the RNLI crew stickers, signs and council issued permits so they will just have to contest them, not my problem.’
Nick Critchell, a spokesperson for the Weymouth RNLI, told MailOnline: ‘Parking in the town is always difficult especially in the holiday season, but we do have parking permits for on-street parking for the guys to park on the streets in that area.
‘We always display the RNLI crew on-a-shout stickers as well as the permit just in case one doesn’t get seen.
‘As far as I am aware the cars were parked where they should have been while they dealt with a potential catastrophe at sea. They weren’t on yellow lines or in and disabled bays.
‘This was an emergency and they parked as close to the station as they could.
‘Our aim is to launch the lifeboat within 10 mins of being asked to by the coastguard. If we have to park further away then that is going to cause more delay with cold costs lives.’
The decision generated backlash online, with Paul Norman writing: ‘So the council are trying to charge lifeboat crew TWICE for going to sea to rescue people – once for a permit and again by not recognising the permit. Immoral or just money grabbing?’
Tina Weaver commented: ‘Absolutely disgusting you’re all risking your life’s to help save people and this is what you get in return. I have no words.’
Merv Sharp added: ‘Just hope that the person who issued the tickets will not be relying on the RNLI to rescue any of his/her family.’
Meanwhile Reg Strathearn said: ‘Totally disgraceful of a jobsworth warden.’
A spokesperson for Dorset Council said: ‘We are sorry for any distress or confusion this has caused. This was an unfortunate error, and we cancelled the tickets as soon as the mistake was brought to our attention.
‘We are contacting the RNLI to apologise, and will remind our team about the agreement with the RNLI so this does not happen again.’
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