East Ham man fined for parking off-duty ambulance

Melissa York, Reporter Tuesday, March 12, 2013
12:00 PM

Council parking officers angered an ambulance driver on Friday after they issued his ambulance with a £120 penalty notice.

Sultan Mahmoud, of Grosvenor Road, East Ham, works for private medical company UK Specialist Ambulance Service.

When not rushing to an emergency, Sultan parks the ambulance outside his house but, two weeks ago, he received a parking ticket.

It was quashed after his company wrote to Newham Council but Sultan says the same officer issued him a second ticket on Friday.

He said: “It’s a marked-up, fully-operational ambulance and medical vehicles are exempt from parking charges.

“I work all over London and I only get this trouble in Newham, I’m sick of it.”

But a Newham Council spokesperson said this exemption only applies when the ambulance is actively on duty.

They added: “This means they are travelling to or parking at an emergency call-out scene.

“Clearly, Mr Mahmoud has not fulfilled this criteria.”

Sultan said: “An ambulance is an ambulance whether it’s on duty or not.”

As a gesture of goodwill, the council have cancelled both of Sultan’s parking tickets but advise him to apply for a resident’s parking permit as soon as possible.