A PUBLICAN made a 400-mile round trip to the North-East to have a parking fine removed.

Raymond Askew was given a fixed-penalty notice for illegal parking by a traffic warden after leaving his car in Crossgate, near Durham City centre, last August.

He was not displaying a parking ticket, even though Crossgate is covered by the city's parking restrictions.

Mr Askew, from Rushden, in Northamptonshire, refused to pay a statutory penalty, claiming he was unaware he needed a ticket to park in that street.

He was unable to attend a subsequent hearing at the city magistrates' court, when a parking fine of £50 was imposed.

Mr Askew attended the Crown Court to appeal against that decision, however, yesterday.

He said there were no yellow lines or other markings to indicate it was a restricted parking area.

Mr Askew said a parking tariff machine was not in view, as it would have been obscured by a van parked in front of his left-hand drive vehicle.

Warren Grier, counsel for the respondent, Durham County Council, told the court that the warden who applied the ticket was unavailable yesterday as he was on leave.

Mr Grier aplied to have the case adjourned, to enable the warden to attend.

But Judge Richard Lowden, sitting with two magistrates, asked Mr Askew how much it cost him to travel from Northamptonshire yesterday.

He said his return rail fare was £80, while he also paid £6 an hour for relief pub cover, while attending the hearing.

Judge Lowden said the county council should have notified the court of the warden's unavailability.

"It's outrageous that Mr Askew has had to come from Northamptonshire.

"The appeal will be allowed and I'll award him £100 costs against the respondent in this case. It would be disproportionate to do anything else."