Residents of a small community have been left tickled by a local “mystery” artist who is painting over yellow lines in a street with limited parking.
The unidentified prankster painter has been working in Park Place, Margate, Kent, where residents have reported difficulty finding a spot for their cars. One local, Carole Laker, who lives in the area, said she pictures the painter as someone “out in the dead of night with their tin of paint”, and their antics have forced officials from Thanet District Council (TDC) to deploy and repaint the yellow lines.
However, soon after, they were painted back to black by the disgruntled resident, and locals have confessed to being tickled by the lawbreaker.
View 3 ImagesLocals have said they are tickled by the painter(Image: Carole Laker/Cover Images)
The authority says anyone who sees that lines have been painted should report it to them. Ms Laker said: “All along our road are yellow lines so no one can park, except for in a couple of places. A couple of weeks ago, somebody painted over one of the yellow lines.
“The council then came out and cleared it off and restored the yellow lines, and now the mystery painter has been at it again. It makes me laugh to picture someone out in the dead of night with their tin of paint.
“Is this a personal vendetta? How long will the yellow line saga go on for?” The portion which has been painted is a single yellow line, which means parking is restricted to certain hours. The council has said that any lines which have been erased will be restored by its team.
View 3 ImagesThe bandit has forced the council to repaint the street(Image: Carole Laker/Cover Images)
“I can imagine someone thinking ‘I want to park outside my own house and not be restricted by these blooming lines – what can I do?'”, Ms Laker said.
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The retiree says she and others in the street have found the whole incident “really funny”. The council did not say whether it would consider putting in CCTV to spot the unidentified painter.
However, a spokesman for TDC said: “Appropriate parking restrictions are in place in towns and villages to support parking, both off-street and on-street, while removing risks such as congestion, access, and safety.
“This includes the use of double-yellow lines. Parking where there are double-yellow lines is an offence, and penalty charge notices can be issued. In the event that double-yellow lines have been covered or erased without authorisation, they will be repainted. Residents who note any such activity should report it to TDC.”