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Parking ticket on rubbish truck
A row has erupted after eager traffic wardens even started targeting Wigan's refuse collectors!
They struck while the Metro cleansing staff had parked their council-liveried vehicles on yellow lines but left them to collect rubbish.
Shoppers watched open-mouthed as the zealous staff from the council's parking contractor Vinci strode forward to nab the unattended vehicles in Tyldesley town centre.
One who contacted the Post after witnessing the "amazing" incident claimed that there was a heated exchange between the warden and the binman after he returned, with bag of litter still in hand, to find the
fixed penalty notice attached to the windscreen.
She also insisted she was told that they have also ticketed a Metro bin wagon collecting trade waste.
But a spokesman for Wigan Council denied that there was a rift between Vinci and town hall chiefs over the ticketing.
And he insisted that the wardens had acted "absolutely correctly" in clamping down on their own staff.
The middle aged woman shopper, who didn't wish to be named, claimed: "There was quite a row between them.
"The lady next to me was having a go on behalf of the binman who was only doing his job, afterall. We both agreed that it was crazy to give a ticket to a council rubbish lorry which had stopped on the double yellows because it was collecting rubbish.
"Who are these wardens going to book next?
"Are they going to start ticketing police vans parked up because they have had reports of burglars, or fire engines that have stopped on yellow lines to fight fires?"
General and Municipal union officer Mr Phil Roberts, who represents binmen and refuse collection staff, said that he had heard that two cleansing vehicles had been ticketed while completing their legitimate rubbish collection duties.
And he was now considering raising the matter at a meeting with Metro cleansing bosses this week.
He said: "I have been told that two of Wigan Council's cleansing vehicles, a mini road sweeper and a caged lorry, were ticketed by Vinci wardens while their drivers were away from the vehicles involved in legitimate duties as part of their jobs.
"This is something that we are concerned about to hear, because it affects our members and their ability to do their job.
"I don't know at this point if the traffic warden tickets were scrapped or they were paid and by who.
"I know that there was talk of one being appealed but it may have now gone over the timescale when you are allowed to challenge it."
However, a spokesman for the council defended the action of their parking control contractors.
He insisted: "I can categorically confirm no bin lorries have had a parking ticket, in Tyldesley or anywhere else.
"Two cleansing vans have been booked but these were not bin wagons.
"There is no spat between Vinci and the council.
"We have instructed Vinci to treat council vehicles no differently from any other as the council has to be seen to be abiding by the same rules as the public.
"We don't want the perception that there's one rule for the council and a different one for everyone else."
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Weather for Wigan
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 23 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
