Parking fine for unused tractor
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/8029497.stm Version 0 of 1. A Northumberland man was issued with parking fines of £1,000 by Leeds City Council for a 50-year-old tractor which had never been near the city. The fines were mistakenly issued by the council after a mix up between Hughie Milburn's tractor and a car in Belgium bearing the same registration plates. Mr Milburn, 61, of Birtley, was told that failure to pay may result in bailiffs seizing property in his home. A spokesman for Leeds City Council said it was no longer pursing the case. The blunder came a year after police in Manchester dropped speeding charges, accusing Mr Milburn of travelling at 44 mph - a speed impossible for the tractor. The council knows the tractor cannot move because it has a burst radiator... so why was I being hassled? Hughie Milburn The ticket was scrapped when police looked at the speed camera image and realised it was not a tractor. In the latest incident Leeds City Council took court action against Mr Milburn for non-payment of fines. It has since realised its mistake, called off the bailiffs and said it would not happen again. Mr Milburn said: "The council knows the tractor cannot move because it has a burst radiator and has admitted the tickets were given out to a silver car, not a rusty old tractor, so why was I being hassled?" A council spokesman said it was not pursuing Mr Milburn anymore and had now realised there was a car with the same registration as Mr Milburn's tractor. |