West Norfolk restaurant owner 'furious' over parking ticket he got while loading deliveries for self-isolating people

A West Norfolk restaurant owner has said he was "furious" after receiving a parking ticket while loading deliveries for self-isolating people in the area this week.

Tim Roberts, of No. Twenty9 Bar and Restaurant in Burnham Market, said he had been loading the company vehicle, which was parked just outside the business on Market Place, on Wednesday afternoon when he saw the attendant taking photos of the vehicle.

"I said to him 'what's the problem, I'm just loading the vehicle up', explaining what we are doing and he said 'not my problem' and stuck the ticket on the windscreen," Mr Roberts said.

No. Twenty9 Bar and Restaurant is currently closed to customers – last week the Government ordered restaurants, pubs and cafés to shut in a bid to tackle coronavirus – but as of this week, the business is offering a delivery service.

The vehicle was parked at the "tail-end" of a restricted section of road for buses, but Mr Roberts said it was not obstructing the lane.

"The buses at the moment are not even stopping as there's nobody on them," he said.

"It's not as if we were parked illegally, we were on a single yellow line but you're allowed to do that as long as you are loading or unloading."

Mr Roberts said he was "infuriated" with the situation not because of the financial penalty, but the principle of it.

"It's not a monetary thing, I don't care how much it is, my issue is it's hardly essential," he added.

"If he needs to patrol, let him patrol the car parks. It's like a ghost town here, there's nobody here."

Mr Roberts added: "It was obvious what we were doing – for him to see what we were doing and still give us the ticket – what are they thinking?"

But a West Norfolk Council spokesperson said, in line with Government guidance, they are continuing to carry out "crucial parking enforcement locally to ensure the public are kept safe and that the roads remain clear for emergency and essential services".

Mr Roberts also questioned how hygienic the process of handing out a ticket was.

"He had to write it out and put it in a plastic envelope, he had no gloves on and the virus lives on plastic," he said.

"How can that be essential? I'm just lost for words, I was furious."

The businessman said he has complained to West Norfolk Council's parking operations department, and the matter has been taken up by his local borough and county councillors.

"I've been told it will be quashed," he said.

Members of the community have shown their support to the business, with some offering to pay for the fine.

"It's not about the cost of the ticket, it's not about me either, it's about somebody realising what's going on," Mr Roberts added.

He said, prior to receiving the ticket, he had agreed to a suggestion by Norfolk County Council's Adult Social Services to widen the delivery service to further afield than initially decided.

The next-day delivery service, which offers a variety of items including chilled meals as well as bakery, dairy and fruit and vegetables, has been proving popular.

Mr Roberts said they had 12 deliveries to make this afternoon through the service – orders for which can be made over the phone, with the items being left on customers' doorsteps to avoid contact.

"We have two of us doing it, and we've been doing it for free, just to keep things going," he said.

"I have asked for an apology, but more for the people of Burnham than anything."

To find out more about the delivery service, visit number-29.com or call 01328 738498.

A spokesperson for West Norfolk Council said the Government guidance is that "local councils will continue to carry out crucial parking enforcement locally to ensure the public are kept safe and that the roads remain clear for emergency and essential services".

They added: "If the complainant was parked on a yellow line where there are no loading restrictions and was unloading or loading, then he should challenge the ticket issued in the normal way by going to the website detailed on the reverse of the ticket."

Meanwhile, in response to Government guidance, the council is in the process of setting up a mechanism for NHS staff, carers and volunteers to apply for virtual permits so that they will be able to park for free on all on-street parking locations, including those which would normally have time limits, and all borough council car parks.

"These workers will be able to apply for a COVID-19 Response Permit by simply completing the online application with their vehicle registration and a photo of their proof of entitlement (ID badge, letter of appointment or whatever other proof is being provided by their host organisation)," the spokesperson added.

"They will be notified of their successful application which will be done electronically to avoid the need and associated delay involved in the issuing of paper-based permits.

"This facility should be available in the next few days and we will promote it on our social media channels and website.

"If anyone in these categories receives a parking ticket while we are setting up this process, they should challenge it in the usual way using the website detailed on the back of the ticket and provide the proof as detailed above."