Florist calls for parking tickets 'common sense'

A FLORIST has called on her council to use common sense after she was given a parking ticket while loading her car.

- By GARETH LIGHTFOOT

Jill Marshall shared a video of an enforcement officer writing up the ticket outside her business, Jill's Flowerbox, on Dovecot Street in Stockton town centre.

She is heard challenging the officers: "You need to use your common sense because actually all I'm trying to do is load.

"And clearly I can’t load because there's three vehicles, none of which have tickets on them.

"And yet I get a ticket when I'm trying to load because two officers can’t use their common sense.

"Not able to run my business because actually these two officers haven't got the common sense they were born with, unfortunately.”

Cllr Norma Stephenson, Stockton Council’s cabinet member for access, communities and community safety, says that she can “appreciate the frustration caused when cars are parked in loading bays” but officers “cannot ignore a car parked in a ‘no waiting, no loading’ area”.

She added that cars parked in loading bays, which did not move, were also given a penalty charge notice.

Jill, 59, said she was picking up a couple of extra bouquets from her shop on a busy March 29, the day before Mother's Day.

“I'd already loaded my vehicle in the loading bay, then two customers rang for more deliveries and you don’t like to say no,” she said.