Traffic warden slaps fine on taxi driver who briefly stopped outside M&S to let a pensioner out

'You’re giving me a ticket for dropping off a disabled lady?'

Footage has been released showing a traffic warden giving a parking ticket to a taxi driver, just seconds after he pulled up to drop off an elderly disabled woman outside Marks & Spencer.

The footage was filmed by the driver, who works for Chelmsford Chauffeur Company in Essex.

The warden can be seen writing a ticket and ignoring the driver as he asks: “You’re giving me a ticket for dropping off a disabled lady?”

The customer also objects to the warden’s actions, calling him a “nasty person” and asking “don’t you think he should have had some warning?”

The video has been viewed over 192,000 times, and is attracting attention across the world.

Dan Robinson, who posted the video on his Facebook page, is the owner the taxi firm. He told The Independent: “My driver turned up at M&S in Chelmsford. Before the car had come to a stop, the traffic warden had arrived at the back of the car taking his details down, so obviously he didn’t have a chance to even stop to let the customer out.

“He got a parking ticket for stopping, and it’s not really parking as such, its stopping to let an old lady out so she can do her shopping.”

Mr Robinson said that the warden’s decision had been “very unfair” and that the driver should not have been punished for dropping off his passenger.

He stressed that there was nowhere else nearby that the driver could have stopped, as there is a bus lane on the other side of the road.

“The driver is only doing his job and trying to earn a living,” Mr Robinson said.

“The driver was doing a good deed by letting the lady out of the car and looking after her."

Chelmsford Council, as well as the warden himself, have come under attack on social media as the video gained popularity.

Most of the criticism has been directed at the traffic warden, whose behaviour was deemed “horrible” and “nasty”.

A spokesperson for Chelmsford Council said: “Parking enforcement exists to uphold the law and to keep our highways clear of obstruction so that they can be used and shared by all road users. It is about fairness, and the same rules apply to all. Our enforcement officers are there to keep Chelmsford’s roads safe and functioning: the best thing to do if you receive a ticket you disagree with is to appeal it in writing.

"As can be seen in the video being circulated on social media, the taxi driver was stopped on double yellow lines in a narrow road with a 'no loading or unloading' restriction. Although his reason for doing this was to drop off his passenger, he knew that he was in contravention of the law by stopping in front of the sign.

“The fine was not directed at the passenger, and it was the taxi driver’s decision to stop where he did. Of course, if the driver thinks the circumstances were mitigating, he can challenge the PCN in writing.

"Offensive language has been used on social media to refer to our enforcement officer, which we consider to be reprehensible and unacceptable, regardless of users’ personal views. Our officer was doing his job.”