Parking fine for unused tractor

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/8029497.stm

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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.