Council parks plan to pay with 6,000 coins

A fistful of coins is OK to pay a local authority fine — but not 15kg of nickel-free 1c pieces.

Council staff in Tralee saw the funny side when young driver Daniel Farrell presented 6,000 coins for payment of a car tax penalty.

However, his offer was politely declined by Kerry County Council’s motor taxation staff.

A council spokesman confirmed to the Irish Examiner that under Section 10 of the Economic and Monetary Union Act 1998, any organisation other the Central Bank is not obliged to accept more than 50 coins in a single transaction.

Mr Farrell, 23, had a €60 fine slapped on his car for not having a current motor tax disc displayed.

He discovered the penalty after returning from the council offices where he had paid €150 for car tax.

The saga had started, he said, when he had parked in the Brandon car park in Tralee and decided to walk to the county council’s motor taxation office — a distance of 2km on the outskirts of the town.

He admitted to “being a bit annoyed” so he decided to get his own back.

Mr Farrell, who works in a Meteor mobile phone shop in Tralee, decided to go to a local bank.

“I asked the teller: ‘Is there any chance I can get a bit of change off you, please’,” he said.

The teller was startled, to say the least, when Mr Farrell from Keel, Co Kerry, said he wanted 6,000 cents in single cent coins.

The bank, however, duly obliged and he returned to the motor tax office with the coins in three bags weighing 15kg to 16kg.

“Some of the staff in the office thought the whole thing a bit funny but they refused to accept the coins,” said Mr Farrell.

He was then forced to make a “normal cash payment” to clear the fine.

He is now looking for suggestions on how to dispose of the 6,000 coins — which he may consider giving to a charity.

Picture: Daniel Farrell, who attempted to pay a parking fine with 6,000 1c coins in Tralee Town Council. Picture: Kerry’s Eye