A councillor has illegally painted parking restrictions outside his home in order to deter neighbours from parking there.
Altaf 'Tiger' Patel, who is also a taxi driver, was spotted painting red lines outside his home in Blackburn, Lancashire, in December 2024.
He said that he needed his driveway free “at all times” due to his job and decided to hand paint the boundaries in order to deter motorists “parking in front of the property”.
Patel said that the 27ft line, which he free-handed, was only “temporary”.
Altaf 'Tiger' Patel was spotted painting red lines outside his home in Blackburn, Lancashire, in December 2024
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The councillor, who represents Little Harwood and Whitebirk ward on Blackburn with Darwen borough council, said that he was waiting for official lines to be painted on by the council.
While Patel said that he had to act to stop the “ongoing issue”, residents on St Thomas Street have accused him of acting “above the law”.
Amin Kapadi, who is a councillor for the neighbouring Audrey and Queens Park ward, added that the lines were “not only inappropriate but also potentially hazardous”.
Four days after he painted the boundary, Patel was forced to remove it after receiving an email from his local authority.
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He said he decided to hand paint the boundaries in order to deter motorists 'parking in front of the property' (stock picture)
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Carmel Foster-Devine, the authority’s head of highways and transport, said he had committed a “highways offence”.
“Painting red lines on the road outside his house is a highways offence, and Cllr Patel received a formal letter from our highways department instructing him to remove them,” she said.
He has since paid council workers almost £3,000 for an official boundary to be installed.
The council are now installing a dropped kerb and H-bar line – which will prevent people from parking outside the driveway.
Apologising for his actions, Patel said: “It was a genuine mistake - nobody has been placing themselves above the law. There have been issues with people parking in front of the property.
“Due to being a taxi driver, I need access to the property at all times, and this has been an ongoing issue.
Patel was forced to remove it after receiving an email from Blackburn council
Google Street View
“People have been parking in front of the house. My daughter has recently passed her test, and she bought a car and also needs access to the driveway.
“I had originally painted the red lines to mark out where the official lines should go, in case I was not home when work was due to come. It was only temporary.”
A neighbour and Kapadi questioned the legitimacy of the installation of the dropped kerb and H-bar-line, though a council spokesperson confirmed the further work was legal.
“Cllr Patel applied and paid for both the dropped kerb and the H-bar line painting outside his property, as any resident would be required to,” they said.
Kapadi said: “Actions such as these undermine the public's trust in elected representatives and contravene the standards expected under the Councillors' Code of Conduct.
“[These lines] are not only inappropriate but also potentially hazardous.”
