A DRIVING instructor was stunned to receive a £70 fine notice because a pupil practising reversing around a corner correctly stopped to let a car go past.
While carrying out the manoeuvre, Paul Ware’s pupil stopped on double yellow lines.
Unfortunately for Paul, the vehicle was a Poole council camera car, and the resulting snap led to a fixed penalty notice dropping through his letterbox.
But thanks to a separate council slip-up, Paul has been told he won’t have to pay the fine – because the camera reported the location as Blandford Road and not the correct location of Catalina Drive.
“People doing reverse left are taught to stop if a car approaches to let it go past. We have done nothing wrong. It’s an absolute nightmare,” said Paul, of Corfe Mullen.
He added that he had been driving for 30 years and been an instructor for the last eight.
“I know all the laws because I have to tell the learners. I also train driving instructors. I’m doing my job and I get fined.”
Paul said the photograph taken by the camera at the time of the incident, near Baiter in Poole, also shows that the reversing lights were on, but not the brake lights.
Jason Benjamin, parking services manager at the Borough of Poole, said: “The video that we have shows the car to be stationary in the bus stop for the period the camera car approaches and it was on this evidence the penalty charge notice was issued.
“If Mr Ware were to challenge the notice on this basis we would give the case due consideration.
“However, it has now been established that the ticket refers to the wrong road name and as a result it has now been cancelled.
“We can only apologise for the inconvenience to Mr Ware.”
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