A RETIRED photographer, who went on national television to champion the cause of drivers caught out by obscure parking laws, has been found dead at home.

Bill Robson, 74, was awarded an MBE for his services to journalism in the 1980s, after 30 years with the Harrogate-based Ackrill Newspaper Group, in North Yorkshire.

However, it was his stand against officialdom earlier this year which won him acclaim in the national Press and appearances on television.

Mr Robson was so incensed when he was issued with his first-ever parking ticket, in Bedale, last December, that he used his skill with a camera to illustrate how inadequate signing and poorly-painted double lines could confuse any driver.

His case proved so strong that police withdrew the fixed penalty ticket.

When news of Mr Robson's victory spread, he was dubbed a people's parking champion and went on to help others to fight perceived injustice elsewhere in the UK.

Despite a busy and active life, Mr Robson was known to suffer from depression.

His body was discovered by his wife, Kate, on Monday. There were no suspicious circumstances, but an inquest is likely to be held.

"It would have been our 30th wedding anniversary in April," Mrs Robson said yesterday.

"Bill was born in Boroughbridge and worked in insurance for a while. Photography had always been his hobby but it then became a career and there's no doubt his proudest moment was being awarded the MBE."

Mr Robson was a regular contributor to The Northern Echo's sister paper, The Darlington and Stockton Times.

Yesterday, Editor Malcolm Warne, said: "Bill was a great servant to the community in Ripon and throughout North Yorkshire. The staff of the D&S and many of our readers who knew him personally or through his work will miss him greatly."

Ripon Mayor Bernard Bateman said: "It's a tragedy for the city, which he served for many years."

As well as a widow, Mr Robson leaves a son, Nicholas. The funeral is at 10.30am on Friday at the crematorium at Stonefall Cemetery, on Wetherby Road, Harrogate. Friends are welcome.