Check out their cheek!

HYPOCRITICAL . . . the parking warden’s car in a disabled bay at Tesco Greenfield

Wardens nab 21 day-trip drivers, then use disabled space at Tesco
Eagle-eyed Chronicle reader Pam Speakes snapped these traffic wardens parked in a disabled space while they popped into Tesco to do their shopping.

Minutes earlier, the wardens had issued 21 tickets to inappropriately parked cars at Dovestone Reservoir in Greenfield as visitors basked in the Bank Holiday Monday sunshine.

Pam, a medical secretary with NHS Oldham, said: “I understand the wardens are just doing their job but this takes the biscuit. Three of them arrived in one car on Monday afternoon so they must have known they would get the chance to issue a load of tickets.

“Most of the drivers had paid for tickets but they were forced to park in places outside the marked bays as it was so busy.

“Parking is notoriously bad up there, especially on sunny days, but no one was causing an obstruction so it seems really mean spirited to issue so many parking tickets.

“The place was full of families just wanting to enjoy the sunshine and walk round the reservoir or have a picnic. I could understand if these cars had been obstructing a main route in the town centre but they weren’t causing any problems at all.

“And then to see the wardens parked in a disabled bay at Tesco Greenfield just seemed so hypocritical.

“I know they have a pass to park in certain places when they are issuing tickets but they weren’t, the driver had nipped in to do some shopping.”

Tim Cowen of NSL, which provides parking enforcement for Oldham Council, said: “Our job is to encourage people to park their cars properly so we are extremely disappointed that one of our staff has failed to do so.

“It is not acceptable for anyone to park in a disabled bay unless they are genuinely disabled, and we apologise for this incident and assure the public that we have taken this matter very seriously.”