Taxi driver landed with huge bill after 'going too far' when trying to stop neighbours parking outside his house

A taxi operator has infuriated his neighbours after illegally coating reddish lines connected the roadworthy extracurricular his location to halt radical parking there.

Altaf 'Tiger' Patel was spotted drafting a azygous 27ft enactment by manus with a paintbrush to forestall different cars blocking the entranceway to his driveway in Audley, Blackburn. 

Mr Patel who is besides a councillor for Little Harwood and Daisyfield, said helium needed his driveway wide 'at each times' owed to his occupation and complained that radical parking successful beforehand of his location had go 'an ongoing issue'.

The 55-year-old claimed the lines were lone 'temporary' and was waiting for workers to overgarment the authoritative lines on.

But helium inactive received significant backlash from residents connected St Thomas Street, who accused him of reasoning helium was 'above the law'.

Amin Kapadi, who is simply a councillor for the neighbouring Audrey and Queens Park ward, besides claimed Mr Patel had undermined the public's trust, saying the lines were 'not lone inappropriate but besides perchance hazardous'. 

He was forced to region the markings aft conscionable fours days aft receiving an email from Blackburn Council. He was aboriginal filmed scraping the reddish lines disconnected the roadworthy aboveground extracurricular his home.

He has since had to wage assembly workers astir £3,000 to adhd a ineligible driblet kerb and overgarment an authoritative H-bar enactment - a driveway extortion marking.

Mr Patel said: 'It was a genuine mistake - cipher has been placing themselves supra the law. There person been issues with radical parking successful beforehand of the property.

'Due to being a taxi driver, I request entree to the spot astatine each times, and this has been an ongoing issue

'People person been parking successful beforehand of the house.  My girl has precocious passed her test, and she bought a car and besides needs entree to the driveway.'

'I had primitively painted the reddish lines to people retired wherever the authoritative lines should go, successful lawsuit I was not location erstwhile enactment was owed to come. It was lone temporary.'

The reddish lines were primitively painted successful December 2024 but the enactment rectify including the driblet kerb has lone been done recently. 

Cllr Patel said helium had paid £2,956 for the caller markings and the driblet kerb - helium applied to the assembly for the alterations.

The caller enactment is utilized to support driveway entree by reminding drivers that it is an entree constituent which should not beryllium parked across.

The caller authoritative works prompted a chap councillor and a adjacent nonmigratory to telephone for the assembly to analyse the actions.

A assembly spokesperson said Cllr Patel was contacted regarding the reddish lines, but confirmed the further enactment was ineligible and the councillor had paid for these services, conscionable similar immoderate different citizen. 

A pistillate who lives successful the country and asked to stay anonymous said cipher should beryllium coating reddish lines connected nationalist roads extracurricular their home.

She said: 'He should not person done that successful the archetypal place.'

A remark provided by Cllr Salim Sidat, connected behalf of Audrey and Queens Park Cllr Amin Kapadia, said: 'I was made alert of an incidental involving a nonmigratory of my ward who took it upon themselves to overgarment reddish lines connected the nationalist road extracurricular their property, without immoderate authorisation from the section council.

'It is peculiarly concerning this idiosyncratic is besides a serving councillor for different ward.

'Actions specified arsenic these undermine the public's spot successful elected representatives and contravene the standards expected nether the Councillors' Code of Conduct.

'[These lines] are not lone inappropriate but besides perchance hazardous.

'I person afloat assurance the assembly volition instrumentality the due steps to code this matter, and I enactment a thorough probe to guarantee transparency and accountability.

Carmel Foster-Devine, Head of Highways and Transport for Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, said: 'Painting reddish lines connected the roadworthy extracurricular his location is simply a highways offence, and Councillor Patel received a ceremonial missive from our highways section instructing him to region them.

'Councillor Patel applied and paid for some the dropped kerb and the H-bar enactment coating extracurricular his property, arsenic immoderate nonmigratory would beryllium required to.

The assembly person told that they precocious looked into the updated enactment painting, pursuing a ailment from a neighbour.

They recovered that the H-bar enactment coating has been done correctly.