Ballygally mum-of-two fought the law and she won
In July, the Larne Times reported that the Department for Regional Development was investigating the case of Louise McCabe, who received a £90 penalty charge after parking across two spaces.
But the mother-of-two claimed she had been given “incorrect information” by an on-duty traffic warden.
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Hide AdLouise explained that she had received assurances from the official that she could park her car across two spaces, provided she purchased two pay-and-display tickets.
And that is what she did while on a shopping trip to Carrickfergus. However, when Louise returned to her car she was “shocked and disgusted” to discover she had received a ticket.
She added: “I ended up paying a £45 fine because I paid the charge within 14 days and got a 50 per cent discount. But I am a single parent and money is tight, so I ended up having to borrow the money to pay the fine.”
Having unsuccessfully appealed the fine twice, a persistent Louise got in touch with the Times and we made enquiries with the Department on her behalf.
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Hide AdAnd this week, Louise received a letter from Roads Service informing her that the fine would be refunded.
However the letter warned that the same approach may not be taken in the future.
A delighted Louise said: “I was informed that my case had been reviewed and on this occasion, the Roads Service was willing to waive the charge.
“It is a small personal victory and I am pleased with the decision, but I am annoyed I had to take it this far in order to get it sorted.
“This just proves the power of the local Press and of not backing down.”