Mercedes driver fined for repeatedly parking on the pavement outside their house in Leeds

The Mercedes owner lives on St Martin's View in Chapeltown and was warned repeatedly over a period of several months after their vehicle was left blocking the pavement.

They were issued with a £30 fine by West Yorkshire Police's special constables - but decided to contest the penalty in court instead.

However, they lost the case and the fine was increased to £220 plus £115 in costs.

The special constables posted about the incident on their Twitter account, adding : "We will always take action to protect pedestrians."

Is parking on the pavement illegal?

According to guidance issued by the RAC in 2018, it depends where you live.

There's no blanket ban on pavement parking in the UK - although it's not been allowed in London since 1974 and those who flout the rules in the capital face a £70 fine.

The Highway Code advises drivers not to park on the pavement - but states that you MUST NOT leave your vehicle in a place where it presents a danger or obstruction.

This means that if your car is judged to be an obstruction, you can received a fixed penalty notice from the police.

Parking on the pavement can actually be the correct thing to do if you are on a narrow road, as it provides more space for emergency access. However, you need to ensure pedestrians, wheelchair and pram users can still walk past your car without having to step into the highway.

In 2015, some MPs tabled a bill to extend the London pavement parking ban to the rest of the country, but it didn't get passed after it was argued that residents living on narrow streets would have nowhere to park.