SWNSNow, it’s all well and good to take your job seriously, but should this really be at the expense of the men and women who are out saving lives every day?
This is exactly what happened when an overzealous traffic warden slapped a ticket on an ambulance while the emergency workers took their first break in eight gruelling hours.
While out on a shift, the North West Ambulance Service workers parked up outside a supermarket, in Northwich, Cheshire, to grab some bottled water.
Apparently, unmoved by the workers’ dedicated service, the warden handed them a parking fine, and even described himself as being ‘proud’ of doing so.
SWNSThe shocking incident was captured by a 47-year-old cameraman, called Ian, who’d been picking his daughter up from school.
Ian, who stepped in to defend the emergency workers, later said:
I felt so strongly about the unfairness of what was happening that I started filming on my iPhone, hoping to bring attention to what was happening to the hardworking paramedics.
I believe they were just collecting some food and water eight hours into their shift.
It’s a private parking firm working for the landlord, who I believe owns the car park and the businesses around it.
The parking enforcement signs were only installed a few weeks ago. The locals are not happy about it, nor are some of the businesses.
You can watch the baffling scenes for yourself below:
The footage shows the warden issuing the ticket while Ian and a female emergency worker attempt to change his mind.
An exasperated Ian can be heard trying to explain to the warden how the ambulance staff were on call, but to no avail.
The parking pedant was having none of it, smugly pointing out:
It’s not on call – she was having lunch. Where’s the sirens?
They are getting some food so they are not on call are they?
The female paramedic then steps in to ask whereabouts she should park the ambulance, as it was not possible to squeeze it into any of the spaces, aside from the disabled bays.
She explained:
I’ve been on since quarter to seven this morning. I’ve had nothing to drink and nothing to eat, and now I’d like to go to Tesco to get some water.
However, the warden remained unshakeable in his hard-line parking philosophy, stating:
I understand, that’s fine, you can do that, but you can’t be parking on a double yellow line, can you?
The attendant – who is doing nothing to enhance the image of traffic wardens – reportedly does not work for Tesco, and is employed by a private firm.
SWNSI mean, do we even have to debate who was wrong and who was right on this occasion?
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.