Fury erupted after a “worthwhile” traffic warden attempted to issue a parking fine to a funeral procession waiting outside a church.
Distraught mourners emerged from the farewell at Welwyn Garden City United Reformed Church in Hertfordshire to find parking attendants about to attack.
Funeral director Justin Burgess said: “We were parked outside the church with a hearse and two limousines, attending a funeral inside the church.
‘The place where funeral vehicles can be parked to access a church is very limited. This particular church is on the side of a road; That’s the only place to park.
‘I left at the end of a service. I saw the traffic guard there and he took out his little notebook to start fining us and I told him. “You got to be kidding”.
Shocked mourners left a funeral at Welwyn Garden City United Reformed Church in Hertfordshire to find a parking warden threatening to issue a fine.
Funeral director Justin Burgess, pictured here with a previously served penalty notice, has shared images online of the latest confrontation with what he called a “worthwhile” official.
After the family of the woman whose funeral was ready to leave, the cortege managed to leave before a ticket was issued.
“I said, ‘We’re only going to be there for 10 to 15 more minutes, can you walk around the block?'”
‘He said no.’ I said, ‘Have some compassion, this is a funeral,’ and he started protesting with me.
Hoping to avoid a scene, Burgess went inside to check on the deceased’s family, who had stayed at the church.
But the traffic warden was unfazed and was photographing the number plates when Mr Burgess came out again.
When questioned, the parking lot attendant called a colleague for backup and called “head office,” the funeral director said.
Burgess added: “The woman on the other end of the phone was just vile.” She said, “Fine them, fine them, they’re breaking the law.”
“And I kind of shouted over his shoulder, I said, ‘Look, like I explained to your colleague here, please have some feeling: this is a funeral, this is the last thing the family wants.'” And She said, ‘Well, that’s it, I’m calling the police.’
‘Unfortunately, in the meantime, the relatives came out and were very upset. She said: “Are you seriously going to put a ticket on my mother’s hearse? I can’t believe you’re doing this to us.”
With the deceased’s family ready to leave, the cortege quickly escaped before a ticket was issued.
Mr Burgess said: “If we hadn’t stopped and argued all that time we would have had a fine, but we just argued and argued, at which point we were ready to leave.”
‘We have another church, in Hatfield, next to the station, and it’s almost as if they are waiting in the bushes. The moment mourners park, they come out to issue their tickets. I think it’s just a job worth doing.
The funeral director shared photos of the encounter online, even showing the church’s vicar appealing to the director.
Locals responded furiously: “Absolutely disgusting” and “Anyone with a brain or a heart would look the other way.”
The vicar who officiated at the farewell was also seen discussing the threat with the director.
Ministers have faced fresh calls to get tough on private companies that issue parking fines.
One lady commented: “It doesn’t matter that no fine was issued, it caused more stress to a grieving family on a day when no one should be bothered, I’m sorry but it’s disgusting on every level.”
Another wrote: ‘I would like to see council staff park further down the road and have to carry a coffin, especially in this weather. They should be able to park as close as possible.
“You never see council vans or maintenance staff getting tickets like this when they park on all the grass verges and block roads and obstruct views.”
A page on Welwyn Hatfield Council’s website lists parking exemptions and waivers and says the council has discretion when it comes to funeral vehicles, including the hearse and cortege.
In a statement, the council said: “We are aware of an incident involving our parking contractor.
‘The contractor requested that a vehicle parked on the zigzag lines of a pedestrian crossing, obstructing the view of pedestrians and approaching traffic, be moved to a safer location.
‘Although we have a dispensation for funeral vehicles, no vehicle can be granted a dispensation for zigzag parking.
‘This poses a risk to the safety of people crossing the road and could cause a serious accident.
“The funeral was not present when the contractor initially requested the vehicle be moved and we want to reiterate that no parking tickets were issued.”
The statement continued: “We deeply regret that this situation has caused distress to those attending the funeral and we have contacted the family directly.”
“We have also asked contractors to review their processes and training to ensure all officers can convey safety implications clearly and with maximum sensitivity.”
MailOnline revealed last September how private companies handed out £1.1bn worth of parking fines last year, uncovering the worst offenders.
Drivers were hit by a 29 per cent annual rise in the number of parking fines issued in the 12 months to the end of last March, figures show.
A record 11.1 million fines were issued in that period, according to analysis of data from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.
This represented an average of more than 30,400 fines each day, compared to the total of 8.6 million the previous year, while five years ago the figure was 6.8 million.
Ministers have faced fresh calls to get tougher on companies causing misery for millions of motorists amid rising costs of living.
A new code of practice was initially due to come into force across the UK at the end of last year, including a halving of the banknote limit to £50.
Other suggested measures included a ban on debt collectors pursuing motorists who don’t pay within a time limit and a mandatory 10-minute grace period before companies can fine drivers whose fines are overdue. .
It was originally brought before Parliament in February 2022, but was withdrawn by the Government five months later following a legal challenge by parking companies and fresh consultations were ordered.
Disabled pensioner Derrick Walker fined £100 in Shireoaks, Nottinghamshire
Manchester United and England footballer Marcus Rashford was spotted last month receiving a parking ticket in his McLaren 765LT.
It was the second ticket in a few weeks for the international forward
Among recent parking fine cases, a pensioner suffering from Parkinson’s disease was fined £100 because tremors caused by his condition prevented him from downloading an app to pay a fine on time.
Derrick Walker, 73, from Shireoaks in Nottinghamshire, was hit with a large parking charge for taking too long to register on the parking app.
Manchester United and England footballer Luke Shaw’s £180,000 Lamborghini has been pictured racking up £240 in parking fines at Wilmslow train station.
And his club and international team-mate Marcus Rashford has also been hit, with a couple of parking fines elsewhere in Cheshire in a matter of weeks.
