A PENSIONER who put up signs on his garden fence to warn motorists about the risk of fines on his street was wrongly told by a parking warden that he would be breaking the law.

The enforcement officer also threatened to tear down any signs outside 71-year-old Jack Worsley's Smithills home.

Mr Worsley put up the sign after an elderly woman received a £70 fine for parking next to a dropped kerb in Abbotsford Road.

He said: "When I saw an elderly woman using a walking stick receive a fine last week I was disgusted.

"It's like they wait and swoop, preying on people who make genuine mistakes.

"I saw one of those spy cars with a camera on it, so I asked him why there weren't any lines on the road.

"I told him I would put up a sign, but he said I wasn't allowed to put anything on my fence, and if I put one up he would take it down.

"But then he said we can put the sign on the house. It doesn't make sense. It is my property after all."

The Highway Code states that drivers should not park on dropped kerbs and could face receiving a fixed penalty notice if they do.

As there are no lines situated next to the dropped kerbs in Abbotsford Road and nearby Stratford Avenue, Mr Worsley believes people do not realise that they can be fined.

Mr Worsley added: "I appreciate that in the Highway Code it says you can't park on them but it also says you can't park on kerbs and on corners — but people still do and get away with it.

"Plus there are no lines on the road as a deterrent.

"The parking attendants only seem to have acknowledged this law in the last 10 months here for some reason and ticket up to eight times a day.

"I have nothing against them doing their job but I do think they are opportunistic and try and pounce on unassuming drivers who don't see the kerbs. That's why I wanted to put up the warning."

Bolton Council said Mr Worsley was doing nothing wrong.

A spokesman for parking company NSL, which issues fixed penalty notices in Bolton, added: "We always advise our officers to be courteous and we would apologise to Mr Worsley, if that was not the case in this instance.

"We do believe the employee was genuinely trying to be helpful, in pointing out the difference between parking signs and regulations and what notices can be put up.

"If that was misleading or a mistake was made in any way, we do apologise for that and we will of course be talking to the member of staff in question.”