SINGER Joel David struck a sour note with a policeman when he parked his Rolls Royce outside the restaurant where he works.

The entertainer ended up in court accused of obstructing the road.

But after magistrates threw out the case, Joel says he will carry on parking.

Joel, who lives in Darwen, was given a fixed penalty ticket in February after parking his car outside Mangiamo Italian Restaurant, Bolton Road, Darwen, where he has been singing on Thursday nights for the past two years.

Joel, 50, said he was told by police that the bonnet of his Rolls Royce was higher than other cars and was obstructing the view for drivers coming out of a side street.

But he refused to pay the fine and claims the whole thing was a waste of time after the case was dismissed when it eventually went before Blackburn Magistrates.

He said: "I just refused to pay the £20 fine on principle. The police officer told me he'd given me a ticket because I had parked within 15 metres of the junction, as stated in the Road Traffic Act.

"I went to the library and I could not find any mention of it at all although I did find a clause in the Highway Code about parking 10 metres from a busy junction."

Joel said that in court he produced a photograph of a Peugeot parked just three metres away from the same junction. He said that he thought Blackburn with Darwen Council had painted parking bays along Bolton Road in Darwen to prevent people from parking on side streets, and added that there were no yellow lines or parking restrictions on the road where he had parked.

A council spokesman said: "We introduced parking bays in Darwen about 18 months ago as part of our traffic calming measures. They are also used for businesses and traders to drop off deliveries."

Joel said: "I have the greatest respect for the police service, but I think this whole thing has just been a waste of time.

"A police constable spent several hours of his time on this, which I think is absolutely ridiculous.

"I felt no elation when the case was dismissed. I just felt sad that the case had been brought to court in the first place."

Sergeant Colin Shaw, of Darwen Police, said: "We don't really express a view when a case has been dismissed.

"The officer who dealt with it embarked on his own course of action, but the magistrates make the final decision."

Apart from his singing, Joel has appeared in Coronation Street as the taxi driver who tried to save Brian Tilsley from being stabbed, and he also played the part of Eric 'The Warbler' Warburton, who sang a poor version of "My Way" in the Rover's Return.

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