Hunstanton school outrage at “ridiculous” parking ticket

Teachers and year 3 students from Glebe House School, in Hunstanton, had travelled to city take in a show at the Norwich Playhouse and visit the Inspire Science Discovery Centre.

The group used the school minibus to travel from west Norfolk and parked in Colegate car park.

But on returning to the minibus at the end of the day, the school party was shocked to see a parking ticket had been issued.

Sarah Hayes-Porter, head of English and drama at the school, said: 'The city council has told us minibuses are not allowed to use its car parks.

'This is not only going to have huge implications for us but also for schools across Norfolk.

'At this school we value the educational experience of taking pupils outside the classroom. It is an integral part of their education.

'But if we are unable to park in a Norwich car park, it will be impossible for these trips to continue.'

Mrs Hayes-Porter said the school has used the car park on a regular basis because it is centrally located and it is a relatively safe environment for pupils.

She continued: 'We had parked within the bay markings but the minibus was larger than the bay so rather than causing an obstruction, we made the decision for the back part of the bus to over hang the space behind.

'We did not feel this would be an issue because the car park is never full so we were shocked to discover we had a ticket because we do not feel we breached any regulations.

'The minibus was clearly labelled with the school name. It was obvious this was not just an inconsiderate piece of parking but had been parked for a specific reason.

'The children had a wonderful day, full of exciting experiences but were extremely upset about the parking ticket. I feel it was ridiculous.'

Norwich City Council said the ticket was 'correctly issued' because the vehicle was not parked within the marked bays. It also exceeded a weight limit for the car park.