A traffic warden was applauded by dozens of onlookers after ticketing a police car that had overstayed in a seafront car park.
The South Yorkshire police car was given a penalty charge notice on Thursday afternoon at the West Pier in Scarborough in North Yorkshire.
Crowds had gathered around the car, which alerted it to the attention of local artist Graham Rhodes. Speaking to the Sun, the 65-year-old said: “It felt like I was witnessing karma in action. It was a really odd situation where people weren’t sure whose side they were on.
“I could see the warden thinking about it from outside the front of my shop. He made a couple of calls and was clearly checking something on his phone. He actually went away and booked a couple of other cars while he figured out what to do.
“There was a bit of a crowd gathering so I went down for a closer look. When he finally issued the ticket there was a round of applause.
“I think people were just pleased to see that the rules were applied equally to the police as with anyone else. There was no bias.
“It was a strange atmosphere because normally people wouldn’t take a traffic warden’s side, but this time they did.”
It is unclear why the police failed to get back in time to the car in the car park, which charges £2 for a one-hour stay and £7.50 for 24 hours.
South Yorkshire police later said the ticket was a mistake and that it had been cancelled because emergency vehicles were permitted in the car park.
A spokesperson for Scarborough Borough Council backed up the police: “We can confirm that the Penalty Charge Notice was issued in error and has since been rescinded.”
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