Newham Council - white paint shortage & other problems

A friend of Mr Mustard's, let us call him Mr L, received a PCN for being in a disabled bay, he isn't that sort of chap and was the victim of innocent error thanks to the paucity of the white lines.

He was parked at the zig zag end of the bay, the bay you can barely see:

This sign was alongside to the left but why would you look for it when you know you are within the PN zone as you live nearby (Portway E15)

Looking back on google street view we have these lovely pictures from 2015, the bay is pristine and was before the residents bays were introduced

Then by 2018, the lines had become worn away and pristine residents bays are in evidence (lazy and unhelpful not to repaint the other bay at the same time)
 

and here is the latest satellite view

which makes clear how unclear the separate bays are.

It is precisely this sort of unreasonable and predatory PCN which gives traffic wardens and councils a deservedly bad reputation. It is no consolation that there is a system of challenge, the PCN should not have been issued in the first place or a warning PCN for zero (you rarely see those) would have done the job of bringing the bay to Mr L's attention, the way the missing lines should have done. Mr L has had to waste an hour of his life getting photographs and emailing Mr Mustard who in his turn has spent an hour in research and making the informal challenge.

Until this sort of malicious nonsense PCN issuing stops the councils won't stop damaging their own reputations.

They won't stop, they need the money.

Update 15 Jan 21: Two messages from the lovely man I am helping.

Further messages from the innocent party who very generously sent £100 to the Hospice.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

Update: 18 February 2021

A month of worry is over, the council have now cancelled the PCN.

The question though is if an employee sat in an office can see from the photographs taken by the traffic warden that the lines and the word 'disabled' had faded to the point where a PCN was unsustainable (as otherwise they would have rejected the challenge) why couldn't the traffic warden see that? Is it because most drivers don't bother fighting and just pay up, probably 50% of them within 14 days and so the council can fill their coffers at low risk?

It really needs to be the case that if a councils issues a clearly unmeritorious PCN they have to give you the value of it, that might make them a little more careful.