Article from: www.thenewspaper.com/news/22/2252.asp

3/3/2008

UK: Meter Maids Create Out of Order Trap
London, UK meter maid places out of order sticker on parking meter, then removes it to issue dozens of parking tickets.

Police in London, UK arrested a meter maid and a motorist battling over a parking ticket trap on February 12. Local restraint owner Rupert Baird-Murray, 36, caught a meter maid placing "out of order" stickers on a parking meter -- luring motorists to park without paying -- and then removing the sticker an hour later in order to issue citations.

"I saw him pull the sticker off," Baird-Murray told the London Evening Standard newspaper. "I said it was fraud and called the police. He started pushing against me with his scooter as I tried to stop him leaving."

The meter maid had crumpled the sticker in front of the motorist while denying having done anything wrong. In trying to escape, the meter maid fell off his scooter claiming he was assaulted. Rather than sort out the mess, police arriving on the scene arrested both and kept them jailed for nine hours.

According to the Standard, Scotland Yard is investigating the incident and a court will decide next month whether either is guilty of common assault.

Source: Traffic wardens conning drivers by putting out-of-order signs on ticket machines (London Evening Standard (UK), 3/1/2008)

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