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UPSET: Landlady Linda Kennedy
Hillgate landlady given parking ticket while her pub was on fire.
Kirsty Elleray31/10/2007
A LANDLADY who claims a police officer told her to leave her car on private land while she raced to check on her staff and customers who had been evacuated from the Hillgate area when a major fire broke out, has been slapped with a parking fine.
As a result she is facing court action or a fine that has increased to £175 – as well as losing two days takings.
Linda Kennedy, who has run the Waterloo Pub, on Waterloo Road, for two years, was out getting supplies on Monday, November 27, 2006, when she was contacted by one of the barmaids and told about the fire.
The 44-year-old said: "I was concerned and headed straight back. When I got to Edward Street, there was a cordon up. It was chaotic.
"I explained to a police officer I needed to check if everyone was out of the pub and he said I could leave my car on some land opposite Stockport Magistrates Court.
"I couldn’t get anywhere near to the pub so two minutes later I was back at my car and an attendant was writing a ticket for £85."
Linda, who has two daughters, wrote to appeal twice but was told she was unsuccessful.
She said: "My car is registered at home and I live at the pub, which is where I wrote the letters of appeal from.
"My daughter brought me two letters from my home address and they said the fine had gone up to £135. I then contacted the debt collectors it had been passed on to, and then I didn’t hear anything until last week when I was told the fine went up to £175. I phoned again but they said as I had already appealed I couldn’t again.
"I lost two days takings because of the evacuation and on top of that got a huge fine. It was an emergency situation, but they don’t seem to care.
"I refuse to pay it, and I am willing to go to court. A police officer told me I could park there."
A spokesperson for Central Ticketing Limited said: "The policeman had no right to tell Mrs Kennedy that she could park on private land. If she was to get a statement from the officer saying that he told her she could, we would review it differently. The owner of that land instructs us to make sure it is not abused, she could try speaking to the land owner and he could get it cancelled."
The Stockport Express reported at the time of the fire incident that more than 400 people were forced to evacuate the Hillgate area.
A 200 metre protective cordon was put in place for 24 hours, after the fire involving an acetylene cylinder broke out at a small engineering firm on Canal Street.
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