Traffic warden slaps ticket on car - after it rolls down hill and smashes into post because driver forgot to put handbrake on

A traffic warden was spotted dishing out a ticket - while the car was wrapped around a telegraph pole.

An eyewitness said the driver had not put the handbrake on properly so the Toyota rolled down a hill and onto the pavement.

He said the traffic warden insisted on leaving a ticket for the unsuspecting driver, despite being told what had happened.

Rochdale council say they have cancelled the ticket and said they will apologise to the hapless driver.

The incident took place on Church Lane in Rochdale town centre on Friday,  August 2 at about 2.30pm.

Mohammed Alim was in town with his family when he saw the incident unfold.

Council chiefs have apologised and say the fine will be cancelled (Rochdale Observer)

He said he had seen the driver parking his car some time earlier.

He had paid for a ticket and put it on his windshield, only for the mishap to strike about an hour later.

Mohammed said: "The handbrake wasn’t on and the car rolled down the hill and into the post.

The Toyota Yaris hit this telegraph pole in Rochdale town centre (Rochdale Observer)

"Five minutes later a traffic warden came and gave him a ticket. I was speaking to him, and he said 'I have to do it'.

"I just told him it’s not his fault."

Mohammed, 44, from Deeplish, said the fact that there was a valid ticket on the grey Toyota didn’t seem to matter.

The car had rolled onto the pavement and crossed a pair of double yellow lines in the process.

Mohammed said: "He had the ticket on his windshield so obviously he had paid for one.

"He bought a ticket already but he just didn’t put the handbrake on."

Working as a delivery driver, Mohammed has had plenty of experience parking across Rochdale but says it’s the first time he’s ever seen this happen.

He added: "He should have left it and said he’s already had a bad enough day and walked off.

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"He’s a heartless traffic warden to do that when it’s not his fault. It’s just unbelievable."

Andrew Storey, head of highways at Rochdale council, said: "Our internal processes picked up straight away that this ticket should not have been issued and it was cancelled.

"We would like to apologise to the motorist and reassure them that the officer concerned has been spoken to."