Choir mistress's pennies protest at parking fine

A church choir mistress was so angry at getting a parking fine while visiting a friend in hospital that she paid it with 3,500 pennies, she said today.

Susan Catcheside, 74, from Longney, Gloucester, expressed her rage at the “Hitler-ite” tactics by taking a sweet jar of coppers to the council offices in a wheelbarrow.

The retired company secretary was at a sick friend’s bedside when she got the £70 (€89.96) penalty, reduced by half because she paid within a fortnight.

Mrs Catcheside, whose son is a priest, explained she wanted to make city council bureaucrats “work for it” by paying in the most awkward way she was allowed.

She made the stand after losing her appeal, in which she argued she did not realise the space in Great Western Road was for permit holders only, because it was not clearly marked.

The pensioner said today: “I’m somewhat arthritic in my shoulder and neck and didn’t see the sign way up there saying permit-holders only. It really should have been painted on the road.

“My reaction was that if I had to pay I was jolly well going to make them work for it. They are absolutely disgraceful. I think they are a lot of Hitler-ite useless efforts.

“I wrote to them saying this was just an innocent mistake, and that I was a law abiding citizen, but they couldn’t accept that. I was visiting a friend who’s 83 and has been in hospital for over a month waiting for a heart operation - she really needed a friend. They showed no humanity whatsoever.

“I was so angry that I went to the bank and withdrew 35 bags full of pennies and tipped them into the sweetie jar. I could scarcely pick it up, it was jolly heavy. So I took it over to the offices in a wheelbarrow.

“I thumped it down on the desk and said ’There it is!’ I also left a note saying: ’I wish you no joy of your pound of flesh’. The two women on the desk didn’t even look up. I think one was on the phone and the other was polishing her nails.

“At least I’ve got the satisfaction that I’ve made my point and made life a bit more difficult for them.”

In May this year, plucky Mrs Catcheside rang up a thief who stole her handbag and mobile phone as she visited a library, and bargained with him for their return.

After he answered her mobile, she told him there was a carved cross from her son inside that she wanted back as well as her diary.

Mrs Catcheside, who runs Longney and Elmore Church Choir, negotiated the return of her treasured possessions for £50 (€64.26).

A spokesman for Gloucester City Council said enforcement officers were bound to act if a car was illegally parked.

The council said today: “If someone has parked illegally then we have to give them a ticket. There is an appeals process. This lady has gone through that and the appeal hasn’t been allowed. If she wants to pay in pennies that’s fine. Cash payments are accepted.”