'We keep getting fined for parking outside our home despite having permits'
Furious motorists have slammed a council which is fining them for parking outside their own home.
Despite forking out for their own permit, residents in Bargoed, Wales, are being slapped with £70 fines because of a "shambolic" new rule.
Before 2019, locals were able to park along both sides of the road at any time as long as they had a permit.
But after a rule change later that year, those living on one side of the road were no longer allowed to park outside their home for more than an hour on weekdays between 8am and 6pm - even with a valid permit.
The change has resulted in dozens of people - including those with disabled badges - being left with multiple fines to pay.
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Gareth and Kelly Williams had to pay £600 in fines (John Myers)On one side of the road, a council signs reads: "Mon - Sat, 8am - 6am [for] one hour. No return within one hour", reports Wales Online.
While directly opposite, another says: "Mon - Sat, 8am - 6am. Permit holders only."
Caerphilly council's parking penalty charge is £70, reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days for "the most serious contraventions".
But those affected by the parking issue have claimed the local authority says their issue falls under the "lesser contravention" category, which means a fine of £50 reduced to £25 if paid within two weeks.
One disabled man, Gareth Williams, was left with a £600 fine and the threat of bailiffs after trying to contest the "bizarre" fine.
One side of Greenfield Street in Bargoed can park with their permits (John Myers)
Residents are handed a £70 fine from the council for parking outside their house (John Myers)He said: "I've lived here for 20 years and before 2019, we could park here no problem. It doesn't make sense at all."
His partner added: "We had letters posted to us [in October] because we had a fine. We contested it and the fine went from, I think, £50 to nearly £600.
"We parked out the back of our house originally. But because [Gareth] isn't well, we parked at the front one day because we came home from a shop and it was absolutely tamping down with rain.
"So, instead of carrying the shopping from up the top of the garden, we parked outside at the front. We brought the shopping in, went to the toilet, came back out and then there was a parking fine on the car.
"We contested it twice and said we're not paying it. However, there was no correspondence from them. Then one morning there was a note put through our door telling us that if we didn't pay the money, they would come here to remove our stuff from the property. We had to pay the £600."
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Gareth, whose illness affects his ability to walk longer distances, has suggested the council put a disabled slot outside his house (John Myers)The pair, who have a disabled badge, said the payment left a huge impact on their finances after having to pay £200 a month.
Kelly has said they still encounter problems despite putting their badge in clear view.
"We have a disabled badge, but we still can't park outside our house most of the time," she said.
"Then you get people on the weekends or evenings with no permit who stay here. People will also take up two spaces at a time. It's terrible to park here. It's a shambles."
Gareth, whose illness affects his ability to walk longer distances, said he suggested the council put a disabled slot outside his house, so he could avoid unnecessary fines or having to park far away from his home.
He added: "We did ask them if they'd put a disabled box outside my door. I said I would pay for it. They said they couldn't do that. Some nights we come home and it's piddling down with rain and we have to park further away than the Salvation Army building (more than 130 yards from the couple's house) and walk up in the rain."
Haydn and June Yeoman, both 84, live a few doors away and are experience the same issue.
June explained the duo were hit with a fine for parking outside their own home.
June and Haydn Yeoman, both 84, are two people who have also been handed fines (John Myers)She said: "We parked outside our own house with a permit, but we're not allowed to be there for more than an hour.
"My husband parked the car there one day thinking we would shift it after an hour, but he fell asleep in the house after we went shopping.
"Then we had a fine for £25. I don't know why this is happening. We had to have permits before 2019 and you could park wherever you liked in the street. A parking permit is fair enough. We didn't mind paying for a parking permit before this because we could park where we liked.
"The rules mean we can only park from 6pm. Imagine going out for a meal and coming back, you can't park because anybody can park here after 6pm - you can't get a space. If we come home late we will try to park across the road.
"If we park outside our house we have to get up early to move it." Haydn added: "It's bound to annoy people on the other side of the street as well, having someone's car parked in front of your door all the time."
Max Fury moved to the street in 2019 and has has now "given up" on following the "ridiculous" rules and refuses to pay his fines unless the council gives him a reasonable explanation for it.
The 43-year-old said: "I don't understand it. It feels like the 27 houses here are being discriminated against for no reason. There are people who are remote workers and people who are disabled. I just see it as a money grab.
A rule change in 2019 meant some people were only able to park outside their home for an hour (John Myers)"I have been fined about four times. I paid the first one because I didn't want to go through the rigmarole like many others on this street, who pay the money. I contested the other three fines. I got booked twice in two days and then the next week I had another one.
"I tell [the council] I have a permit - but they said it doesn't matter. I have letters coming through now saying my fine is going up because I haven't paid it. It's now at about £150 for each and I keep responding to them saying I'm not going to pay it until I get a reasonable answer as to why we can't use our permits."
Max said his stance is also to help stand up for his elderly and disabled neighbours.
He said: "I'm not just thinking about myself and the money I have to pay, I feel terrible for my neighbours. I said to Gareth I will save his space with my car and then move it when he needs it because I can walk further.
"It's absolutely ridiculous and it's a blatant cash-grab in my mind. They don't care and they refuse to give me a simple explanation. The fact is that they can't give me an explanation because there is no reason for it other than to make as much money as they can."
The Mirror has approached Caerphilly Council for comment.
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