BAD WEATHER caused extra problems for a Stratford man when he was given a parking fine after snow covered up his permit.

The penalty marked the latest in a long line of run-ins with Newham’s parking inspectors.

In this case, Louis Lawler, of Torrens Square, wrote to the Town Hall only for his appeal to be rejected and sent to court, where it was discharged.

To date, he has received about 25 parking tickets, all from outside his own house, in what has turned into one man’s battle against parking restrictions in Newham.

Mr Lawler, a consultant ecologist, says that he has paid five tickets for parking inches over the line, seven tickets have been discharged in court and the rest were revoked on appeal.

He estimates that he has been charged somewhere between �2,000-�2,500 in total. Mr Lawler, 40, said: “Taking time off work and travel has cost me a lot of money. If you lose, you do have to pay a lot of money but I have been confident every time that I was in the right.

“I feel victimised because it has happened so many times. It has never been my fault and I have always tried to abide by the rules.”

Mr Lawler said: “The council doesn’t seem to listen to people making a complaint. They would rather reject it and take it to court than listen to people’s situations.”

A Newham Council spokesman said: “Like all disputed PCNS (penalty charge notices), the recipient needs to formally put the appeal in writing to the address on the ticket saying why the charge is disputed. It will then be considered and the PCN discharged if necessary.”

On top of this, thanks to a faulty ticket machine, Mr Lawler says he has received four tickets from the Morrisons store in Stratford, which he has successfully appealed. He says one appeal dragged on for several months before it was revoked.

A Morrisons spokesperson said: “We regret that Mr Lawler is not satisfied with the appeals procedure and are continuing to work with our partners to improve the process where possible.”